When I was 13 years old, I was a runner. I ran all the time. I never had any formalized kind of training, I just ran. I was on the cross country and track team throughout Junior High and High School and after high school I joined the army and ran some more. We ran everywhere and back then I was good.
Fast forward to Covid. I was no longer in the Army but out in the working world. As a manager, I sat at a desk or behind the steering wheel most of the time. When Covid first started I was overweight and out of shape and was on the higher end of being at risk with my age and weight. I decided I had to do something to try to make sure I was around for my wife, children and grandchild so I started running after work in Greensboro on a trail. I was slow, very slow. At the time I was 315 lbs and getting all that movement was a chore. I ran almost everyday for weeks: usually 2 miles, sometimes 3. I then discovered Salem Lake and moved to running there. I love to run at the lake as it is pretty much all shaded, even in the summertime.
Sometime during this non-formalized training, I signed up for my first 5k in over 30 years, The BK5k in Greensboro. I came in at 47 minutes which was a great time for me. For being over 300 lbs I was happy. My PB for a 5k however was 15:10 set back in 1988. This race was a far cry from that. I continued my journey to weight loss for the next year.
After that race, I learned real quickly that I can’t go out on every run trying to better my time. Doing this, I injured myself so many times in these few short years and couldn’t run like I wanted. I was going to have to slow down. One of the other key solutions I learned for reducing my injuries was actually having a running store to go to. In the 80’s a teenager wearing a size 13 shoe was lucky to find any shoe to fit, so having a good comfortable AND fitting running shoe was pretty much non-existent. Finding Fleet Feet was a god send to me to get good shoes and have people to talk to. I ended up starting to run with some of the Fleet Feet crew on Saturdays.
That fizzled out after a few months but it got me pointed in the right direction of some other run clubs. I started running with The Run Club, on Mondays at Fiddlin’ Fish. Then I signed up for my next 5k race, Beat the Heat in 2023. At that race I improved my time to 37 minutes. I stopped by a TCTC table and chatted with a few of the volunteers there. The next thing I knew I was doing Tuesday night track work with The TCTC. At this point I still didn’t have a formalized training regimen, I just ran. Even so, I had dropped to about 260 lbs by this time so I felt I was doing something right. As fate would have it, I met Marisa, a runner and member of TCTC at one of the track nights. We talked as we walked back to our vehicles after the workout and I pelted her with questions about the Track Club and if it was worth it to join. Next thing I knew I was the newest member of the Twin City Track Club.
A while later, I ran with Marisa on one of the Saturday group runs in Reynolda where she introduced me to Garmin watch training programs. I started looking at the programs and in the meantime, I went through some old pictures from the 80’s. I had a picture of me crossing the finish line of the Charleston Distance Run in 1988. I told my wife I wanted a picture of me crossing the finish line again 36 years later. I started the Garmin training program and worked on that goal.
The Charleston Distance Run is a 15 mile race in West Virginia, not easy at all. I still went to Fiddlin Fish on Mondays and Tuesday night track night as I continued to do my Garmin workouts. I was continuing to lose weight as well. I also trained in Las Vegas when we were on vacation. I never thought I would train in the Nevada heat while on vacation but there I was, running.
I had one goal for the Charleston Distance run and that was to finish. Race day came and I was down to 240 lbs. and ready to go. The race started and off I went. I didn’t start out too fast, I felt good, and I was following my race plan. Mile 4 is when the hills of West Virginia start. The first hill is called capital punishment hill. It is an approximately 1 mile long, grueling hill that is aptly named. I did stop at the top and take a selfie with the sign then continued on with the race. The next 3 miles were all hills then a long downhill to the river where the next 7 miles were run. I got my picture crossing the finish line. I averaged 12 minutes a mile. 36 years and 15 miles later, all the hard work was worth it. Was I fast? Absolutely not. But am I just as proud of that time as I was when I ran it 36 years ago? Absolutely!
Here are some key things I learned on this journey to better health in my 50’s:
- Have a plan and follow it as closely as you can.
- Find like minded people or groups to help you with your journey. Winston Salem has opened my eyes to all the running groups it has to offer. When I was younger, there were no running communities like the ones here. Having a great community like this has helped me tremendously.
- Not every run is a time trial. Strava has made me feel sometimes that I am running too slowly compared to others. I’ve learned that everyone has a different journey and none of them are easy. Don’t compare yourself with others as comparison is the thief of joy. My times are my times and I am proud of them whether it’s an 8 minute mile or a 12 minute mile long run.
I am continuing my journey and hopefully going to get my weight around what it was when I fought for our country. If…er…I mean when I do that, I will have lost over 100 lbs. For those of you that have run with me in the past year from the TCTC, Fiddlin Fish, The Run Club and Foot soldiers….please know that you guys have been an inspiration to me and have helped me tremendously. For those that may be struggling along with anyone else, JUST RUN.