Wow, how time flies…. It has been just over 8 months since I took my leap of faith and started on a journey to improve my life and health. In fact it’s been 260 days exactly! The weight loss has slowed down, which can be frustrating but I am seeing results in other areas. My body shape is changing, I joked with my wife a few days back that I could actually see my belt buckle. It’s the small things that count… right?
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| Pre Half Marathon pose – I am trade marking this! |
My body is enduring hours and hours of training and bouncing back ready for more much quicker these days. On Super bowl Sunday I embarked on another mission, I signed up to run in the Kaiser Half Marathon in San Francisco. This was my second Half Marathon distance, the last one I completed on the 15thof December. So just about one and a half months later I went for it again. I didn’t have a goal time to finish. In fact I didn’t plan on running this race any faster than my previous attempt.
My First Half Marathon time: 2Hours 44 mins
My Second Half Marathon time: 2 hours 23 mins
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| Training @ FNS Training Center |
After my first half marathon, my body was exhausted. It took weeks for my knees and hips to feel “normal” again. This time, it’s only a few days post-race and I am feeling great. My knees are only slightly sore and my hips are about the same. The human body is amazing, we can endure much more than we ever imagined. I am finding that my limits are constantly increasing. My mind sometimes struggles to keep up with the change. It has been a constant internal battle to eliminate the feelings of “I can’t”, I imagine that anyone would struggle with this as well. I remind myself that failure only exist when I decide that a task is too challenging. Each moment or event that comes my way must be met with a choice. The choice to “try” is the one that I have to make. Growing up I remember my Dad always saying something to me whenever I used the phrase “I Can’t” – his quick response back would always be “ Can’t never did anything, Try whooped the world”. Just like most things in life if we only take something at face value then it will hold no meaning in our hearts. This was something I heard often and not until now in my life do I truly understand what this small phrase means. I had limitations on my life at 452 pounds, but the key word here is “had”!
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| 2/3’s of my inspiration! My boys are the reason “I Can’t” must never exist in my vocabulary! |
Next weekend on the 16th of February I take on my third Half Marathon. I want to break the 2:20 Min mark and I will make sure that happens. Wildflower remains my primary focus, it’s my motivational tool at the moment and I plan on utilizing the excitement and thrill of the event to only push myself beyond the limits that only exist in my mind. I have said over and over that utilizing these types of event have played a crucial roll in making this journey a success. Find what works for you and go after it! As always, if anyone has any questions or would like to share info with me please feel free to reach out to me directly at Mario@sheddingounces.net
Until Next Time – Warrior, Training for Wildflower!
Mario
Weigh in results:
- 256lbs.
- 196 lbs. lost
- 86% to my weight loss goal.
- 43% of total body weight lost
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