This is my first post in this new blog environment. This blog will be to record all of the activities of my training and workouts to get back into running form.
A few weeks before my 36th birthday I was a participant in the Corporate Challenge with my work. As I stood in the infield of the track and watched numerous individuals competing in the races the competitive fire began to burn deep within my core. A sleeping giant had awakened from its slumber and was beginning to stir. The giant had been put down for a longer than anticipated hibernation. More like a coma, if you ask me. There were few, if any remnants of a former college cross-country athlete lingering within.
Hampered by nagging IT Band issues over the last 5 years made a return all the less realistic. The internal clock seemed to pass time more quickly the further along it was in operation. Three summers before I had shed 30 pounds off my frame and looked more like the runner I once was, but did not muster up the courage or motivation to endure in a training program and over the next several months those pounds came back with a personal vendetta.
Through two job losses and other personal drama, the pounds continued to attach themselves to me and refused to play fair. I stepped on the scales the day before my birthday and did not like what I saw. I was well over 255 pounds and had at one time hit 260, a far cry from the days of a starving collegiate athlete who often was considered a heavyweight at a mere 195 pounds. So out onto the streets I ventured that birthday eve and managed to survive a 1 mile run. At least my pace was respectable, so not all hope had been lost.
The next 2 weeks would be a challenge due to our incredibly hot temperatures, but I managed to squeak out a few miles a week. At the end of June the fitness center at my work announced a Summer Challenge Incentive Program. It is a 6-week program where we all had to test ourselves doing pushups, curlups (the sititng down kind) and a 12 minute walk/jog/run and increase by 10% week over week. Originally there were well over 25 participants in this challenge, but as of Monday the numbers have shrunk to a total of 10.
We are currently in week 4 of our Challenge program and it has definitely stretched me beyond my comfort zone. Going forward this blog will reflect my triumphs, defeats and everything in between as it pertains to running. I really am anxious to see how well I do with recording my information and improving regularly. This time next year I want to be in the best shape of my life at the age of 37 and not be ashamed of anything I have done during the last calendar year. I realized I was at the point in my adult life that if I chose to not to do anything that I was increasing my odds for sickness, disease and limiting my abilities to take care of my family going forward. I am willing to go the distance and persevere regardless of challenge that is before me.
As of today, I have been training for exactly 6 weeks and have built a core foundation to springboard off of going forward. The first 6 weeks were not the prettiest and I will spare you the details and drama I went through. Ultimately, I am still pushing forward. I have not allowed it to beat me into submission and force me to quit. My mental toughness has been sharpened and my physical toughness has been tweaked. I am ready for the challenge(s) that lie in the miles ahead of me and will be sharing along the way.
You may still be wondering why I called my blog the scarecrow runner..well I am from Kansas, enjoy the movie Wizard of Oz and am a runner...the town in Kansas that I was born in has a Wizard of Oz museum, so its only fitting. I am rather tall and lengthy and often times can relate to the personality of the scarecrow from the movie. Not that I don't have a brain, but the general personality. :) So...from hence forth, the scarecrow runner cometh.
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