Challenge. What does it mean to you?

Challenge. It’s a word that has a different meaning for everyone on the planet. For me, the meaning has always changed and my challenges were usually means to an end. However, in January 2009, I decided to concentrate all my efforts on an endless challenge that has already significantly changed my life. I decided to get my health under control. At the time of the decision, I was sitting squarely in the overweight category, I was beyond unhealthy, and it was only getting worse. So I took on the challenge to change and save my life.

Fast forward a year. February 2010. I am already a new man. I’ve lost 65 pounds, and am healthier and more active than I have ever been. I decided to up the ante on this challenge and road test my newfound health. I registered for my first 5K. My first training run was a disaster. I could barely run a mile and struggled to walk and run through the full distance at a 10 min./mi. pace. I learned that just losing weight wasn’t enough. I also had to increase my endurance and fitness level.

Fast forward a month. My first 5K. I ran the distance in under 25 minutes. I had reached my goal of completing the race and shaved 5 minutes off my original time. But this wasn’t the end of my challenge. I registered and raced several more 5K races, progressively getting faster, fitter, and more addicted to running and exercising outdoors.

Fast forward two months. I’ve now lost 75 pounds and am racing in my first 10K. I loved the challenge of the longer distance of the race and found myself wanted to keep running. In the back of my mind I knew that longer distance races were out there and waiting for me but that transitioning from racing a 10K to seriously training for a longer, harder challenge would take more than just will and grit to tough it out.

The next step in the challenge presented me with a choice and a lot of questions. Do I stick with just running? Increase my distance to the half marathon? The marathon? Beyond? Or do I transition to a triathlon? Having only recently started running and never been a cyclist or a swimmer, can I even complete a triathlon? But with my recent running successes in mind, I realized that my new body and mind can do more than I thought it could. So I made a decision. Fast forward to July 2010. I am competing in my first sprint triathlon. And fast forward to December 2010. I am competing in my first full marathon.