2007 In Review 2008 Goals

Over the past 12 months my life has changed in many ways, most of them i would say are for the better. This year i have for one become much more goal oriented, and with that, i would like to take a quick step back, and look what all happened in my life in 2007, and take a look forward to 2008.

This past year, i have gone from a overweight, sedidentry guy, to someone who dreads not being able to work out and abhors being fat. I believe that i have had more change in my life in 2007 then pretty much any other year, at least that i can remember. I can only hope that i will see more change happen in 2008, and as long as i am able to stay healthy, then that should be acomplished.

In June of 2007 a good friend from college of mine, Neil put a photo of me on his facebook account. He did not put it up there to be mean or to poke fun at me, he did it b/c it was a picture of us from another of our friends weeding. But that photo has had more impact on me concerning my health than i believe any other thing. In photos we can truly see who we are, and what we look like. I find that many times in life, we can look at ourselves in a mirror and lie to ourselves, we look but we only see who we think we are not, what everyone else sees. But in pictures, we actually get to see who we really are. This photo did that for me, it let me see who i really was, a pathiticly overweight guy who was doing nothing but killing himself, as long as i kept up the lifestyle i was living. Looking at that photo i was discusted with myself, and that night i decided to make a change, and make one that would last the rest of my life. I decided that i was no longer going to be a fat ass. sorry for the crudeness, but that is what i was. From that day i was going to make a change, it is one that has taken me quite far already, but i still have a long way to go.

I didn't go to a surgeon and get some procedure done, i didn't go see a hpynotis to have them change my thinking, no i just decided that i was going get into shape, and that i was going to focus my attention on that goal. It was going to mean that i was going to have to change many aspects of my life. I was going to have to change my friends, change where, and what i ate, i was going to have to change all my priorities. Though i had some great friends that i would miss their company, i knew that if i continued down the same path that i was walking, yet expected to see a different result, then i would be a fool. I would have to change everything. And that is precisly what i did. I change everything.

I started July weighing 343.3 lbs. I knew that i would never weigh that much ever again. Thankfully i ended 2007 weighing 238lbs. For those of you not great at math, that is 105.3lbs lighter. I actually know adults who weigh that much. So over the course of 6 months i lost the equivelnt to a petit women, that is incrediable to me.

I also learned to love running, and working out. All my life growing up i don't believe that i every loved running, heck when i played football in highschool i hated running, but during this period of life change i came to love and look forward to a good run. and to anyone out there who is acutlly reading this blog who says i can't run, or i hate running, i encourage you to give it a fair try, and i bet that you might truly come to love it. There is just something about it, it will make you feel truly alive. After a good hard workout, the air that flows through your lungs, giving you right life giving oxyegon. all i can say is wow.

If it wasn't for my good dog buster who i had to have put down this year i don't think that i would have found out that i do in fact love running. You see my folks were out of town for a month in July, and i needed to go over and take buster out for a walk each day. Well after we were walking for about a week, i decided that i would try a little jog. I would say to buster who was 15years old how about we try jogging for a block, and that is how far we would go, then it would be two blocks, by the end of july i was dropping buster off after we had walk/jogged for about 30 min, and i would go out for another cirlce around the block, i was now able to jogged 3/4 of the block without stopping. Well august came and my folks got back in town, so i didn't need to keep walking buster, so i talked to a good friend of mine, and asked if i could walk their dog, a 2 year old black lab, who loved running. and with her, i truly started a love affair with running. Soon i was going out for 3-4 miles each day of jogging, I ended up competing in several 5k races over the next couple of months with my fastest time being 30:00. for those who don't know a 5k race is 3.1 miels long.

While doing one of these 5k races, i was introduced to another sport, or should i say three sports, it was called a Triathlon. I signed up to compete in a sprint Triathlon which i raced in and did quite well at the start of November. Well competeing in one of those was a blast and it opened up a whole new can of worms. for those of you who know me know that when i do something i have to do it to the absolute fullest. so now my sights are set on becomming an Iron Man. The Iron man length races are a 2.6mile swim, followed by a 112mile bike ride, then followed with a 26.2 mile run. In 2008 i plan on competeing in what they call a half iron man, which is a total of 70.3 miles. a 1.2mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 run. Then i would like to compete in a full ironman in 2009, so my goals are all associated with that. Getting into what they call ironfit. being able to compete in one of those events take tremendous training in a multitude of sports, i feel i am up for the challenge and i look forward to the races to come. For those who know me encourage me, and cheer me on, i know that i might not be spending much time with you anymore, but i feel that it is for my best, otherwise, i feel my life was going to be shortened and then there would be no way i could spend time with you.

To all i wish a great year, i know that it is going to be a great one for me. I am looking forward to 2008, i actually can't wait to be setting here in another year looking back, saying wow my life has changed so me over the past 12 months. join with me and make 2008 great.

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