A Unique Weight Management Opportunity

My Race To The Great Race
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Exercise

I'm fat.

Really fat. Not just a little fat. I'm very fat. I somehow still manage to have a pretty decent post-up game, and can play in a 40-minute basketball game (with some breaks on the bench) without needing a defibrillator, but I'm still fat.

That might be harsh. Let's call it 'A Unique Weight Management Opportunity'. That sounds better.

I'm 33 years old today (7 Aug, 2009). I've been at least overweight since the 5th grade or so. There have been times in my life where I was still in pretty good shape, but that hasn't been the case for quite some time. My most recent weigh-in on the bathroom scale (yesterday morning) put me at 361 pounds. I'm 6'1". That's not a mistake. I'm 6'1" tall and 361 pounds. I am finally starting to feel the toll carrying that weight on my body is taking. My back hurts every morning. My feet hurt pretty bad by the end of the day. My ears are constantly ringing (a sign of hypertension, although that could just be plain old tinnitus).

I have many reasons for losing the weight, and getting in shape. But as with anyone that has struggled with this, I can tell you that those reasons just never feel 'real'. I know what risks I'm confronted with being this heavy. But it just hasn't felt like those were a part of my reality. They're starting to. The back pain is what is really doing it for me. I'm a strong guy. I'm the guy everyone asks to help them move because I can pick up and carry their appliances. On my own. My back shouldn't hurt.

What I've always lacked is a goal. Something real, something that I can wrap my mind around and point to and struggle for and be proud of.

The Great Race. http://www.great-race.com/

This is my goal. My MacGuffin. The carrot on the end of the stick.

Every year, in my town of Auburn NY, they have a triathlon of sorts, called The Great Race. There's a run, a biking portion, and a canoe segment. There's a long race and short race. This is usually held right around my birthday every year. This year it's this Sunday (the 9th). Next year, I'm going to be in it. My goal is to participate in the short race. The short race has a 5k run, 10 mile bike, and 2 mile canoe leg. I'm going to get a team together, and finish this race. I will do any portion that the team requires of me. The run, the bike, or the canoe.

And this little outlet on the web is how I'm going to document my progress. I'm taking you all along with me.