Let Me Introduce Myself
Hi there! Welcome to my blog. I’m starting this site to have a creative outlet for something I am passionate about….running. Most of the time it will likely be me rambling on about some random stuff or telling some stories of recent events and insights. Eventually I would love for this place to be a resource for other runners to get questions answered. I consider myself a dumb runner. I have no idea what I am doing. I don’t know how to train or when I am going too much. I simply try to listen to my body and keep running. I read other stuff on the internet and try to implement the things that make sense to me. So far its been a blast.
Here is a bit about me and how I got to where I am today. I was born and raised in the San Franscisco Bay Area. I’ve always considered myself athletic. I ran cross country in junior high school and skateboarded into my late teens. After I got some responsibilities I quit being as active. I played some hockey and ran a mile or two occasionally. However, I was slowly gaining weight.
At my job, each year we had a weight loss challenge. It would typically last a couple months. It was the same thing for me every year. I’m 5’ 7” and I walked around at about 180 lbs. I would eat and drink like crazy in the days leading up to the initial weigh in to pack on the pounds. I think the heaviest I ever weighed in was 188 lbs. Then over the next couple of months I would go on a strict no carb diet to cut some weight….I am extremely competetive. By the last week of the challenge I would be around 165 lbs and then fast and dehydrate myself for the final two days to cut some additional weight. It was a straight up UFC style weight cut. Probably not the most healthy thing. Every year I would end up at 159 lbs which was usually enough to win. I won 2 out of the 3 years. The year I lost was only by a 1/2 pound. I honestly didn’t think I could lose anymore.
After the challenge was over I would gain all of the weight back over the next month. This last time I decided enough was enough and I was going to make a lifestyle change. I became more consistent with my running and started to watch what I eat more closely. I’ll be honest, my nutrition is my weak point. I love eating and I often over do it. When I notice myself getting off track I try to refocus. I don’t beat myself up over a bad meal I just give myself a gentle nudge in the right direction. The results have been amazing. I now walk around at about 159 lbs and I think I can probably get down to 155 lbs. That was what I weighed in high school and is my ultimate goal weight.
After a few years of big weight flucuations I finally feel like I have some consistency. My family recently relocated north to Granite Bay, CA. Its a big change from living in the chaos of the Bay Area but we are loving the change. I am running an average of 25 miles a week at the time of this post and have some longer races planned. More about that later. I think that is enough for now. I will leave you with one of my other passions…..photography. I will sprinkle some photos in this blog where I can. Here is one of my favorites from a sunrise in the Bay Area.
Sunrise over San Jose, CA
