Enjoyed some walking and jogging on the treadmill tonight with my friend Bertie and had a lot going on in my head so grabbed my phone and just talked.
My weight has gone up from about 255 lbs to 266 lbs in the last 4 weeks (and I had put 5 or 6 lbs on before that too) so I am really trying hard to get back on track and focused.
As a person who has been morbidly obese most of the last 20 years or so you have a huge fear of once you have lost some weight that you will lose control and put it all back on again (lets face it – we’ve all probably been there many times). I used to be 345 lbs and NEVER want to be there again because it was painful and unhealthy. My goal currently is to get below 250 lbs by Christmas and get below 200 lbs to run the London Marathon in April 2017 as a runner for the Royal British Legion.
After 20+ years of being obese, there is one lesson I’ve recently learned and accepted the fact that “it is OK to be the tortoise and not the hare…”
The key to long term success is perseverance and endurance and one is more likely to get to the end and finish if challenges are taken at a steady pace. It REALLY is OK to plod along and enjoy the scenery.
The last three weeks I’m kinda stuck in the low 250’s. Normally this would have previously been enough for me to throw my hands up in exasperation and head down to the shop on the corner to buy 2 giant bars of Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate and a large bag of chips. That’s not something I’ve done for 5 or 6 months now.
I’m accepting that the tortoise eventually gets to where it wants as it just keeps going…
And that is how I’m facing my latest challenge, my second Marathon. The Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon takes place on October 9th in the City of York. Two work colleagues and I will be running for my employer http://www.pmsdiecasting.co.uk to raise money for our chosen charity for 2016 which is the ‘Children’s Hospital Charity’. We’ll be running as part of ‘Team Theo’.
Last year I walked a marathon for Cancer Research UK. I walked as fast as I could, lost two toenails, got runners trots so had to poop in a bush and came last (in 8 hrs 45 minutes) but was totally happy with that. I did something I never thought was possible for me as several months before the event I could barely walk 100 m without having to sit down because of back pain. Solution was to lose weight and keep walking…
This year, I have 7 hours to complete the Yorkshire Marathon so I have to lose more weight, train harder and even jog at times to make the time. I’m determined to do it (and hopefully not lose anymore toenails this time)
My training started today…
Will I come last again? Probably… but I’ll finish. I won’t give up.
I AM THE TORTOISE!
PS: Did my first in public 5k run last week for Cancer Research as part of the #pinkarmy. I walked and jogged it in just under 42 minutes.
Here’s my MARATHON training plan if you are interested. Click on it to print.
The 1940's Experiment 