Spartan Race

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Joe Johnson

Sparta. Wow. This one is difficult to write about. It is difficult to describe the challenge of the event. It’s difficult to describe the emotions. It’s difficult to convey everything that went on the day of the race without slipping into hyperbole and over-dramatization. There are signs everywhere that simply read “Spartan Race – You’ll know at the finish”.

It might be able to frame the challenge by putting it in context with other events I have completed. It took less time to run than it did to ride the 5 Boro Bike Tour, but just barely at 4 hours. It was similar to the Rugged Maniac, but the race was a mile longer and the obstacles were far more difficult to complete. Plus, there was a punishment if you failed an obstacle that didn’t exist at the Rugged Maniac. If was far more physically challenging than the metric century ride on Martha’s Vineyard, or even the Hilly 40 mile ride that caused my legs to cramp so severely that I fell off of my bike multiple times. It was far more mentally draining than any of those events as well.

Angie and I decided to run the Spartan Race on a whim. There was a deal on the entry fee that saved us 15% and when we committed the race was months away. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Plus, it was at the Mohegan Sun casino, so we knew that we could always have a good time if the race didn’t go well. At least that was the plan. We had a midday start so we could already see the racers running as we drove to the casino. They seemed impossibly far from the building, and everyone was walking or barely jogging. And they were all in phenomenal shape. We began to worry right at that point. Once we pulled into the parking garage we parked on the top level and we were able to see across the campus to the staging area where the Start/Finish line was located. We could also see the complex of finishing obstacles. There was a fire pit to run through, the Hercules Hoist, a three story high pallet ladder attached to a cargo net bridge that spanned the main access road to the lower casino, a water obstacle that led to an inclined wall that you use a rope to climb over, and a wall that you traverse by clinging to small blocks. That was all in the last 200 yards. I went from worried to completely intimidated. If those were the only obstacles I would have been worried, but we also had to run 4.5 miles and tackle 20 other challenges. We quickly gathered our gear from the car and headed down to the staging area.

That's a sobering statement!

That’s a sobering statement!


Once we stepped into the registration and staging areas we knew we were in over our heads. Even the envelope the timing chip came in stated “There is a real possibility that you may die or be catastrophically injured”. This took away my obstacle race logic that always saw me through every race. Sure, it looks dangerous, and if you fell exactly wrong you could get hurt, but they wouldn’t let everyone do it if it weren’t safe. Ummm, yes, at Spartan they would. It all became very, very real to us. Something else happened though, something unexpected. Every single racer we met offered support and encouragement. Angie and I had resorted to gallows humor to try to stay calm and focused. Anyone who heard us worry would interrupt and say “You can do it, even if you think you can’t right now. You WILL finish”. You will finish. Every Spartan Racer had that attitude. Not I will finish, but you will finish. We will finish.
Ready to go! I think...

Ready to go! I think…


The race is a blur. We climbed over a wall into the start pen with the rest of our wave just like the Rugged Maniac, except a foot higher. Racers were already helping each other just get to the start line. The starter had everyone chanting a response to the question “Who am I?” “Spartan!” The gun went off and we ran. The first obstacle wasn’t really one at all but it caused the first injury. The course ran through levels of the parking garage and over guardrails. Angie fell. She got back up and would later complain that her biggest bruise was from that guardrail. We ran up hills and through drainage ditches until we came to the first real obstacle, an eight foot wall. Up and over, followed by more running. I briefly thought that things were looking better until we ran out of the forest we were in and smacked into the first of the obstacle complexes. Much like the finishing complex there were a group of challenges one after the other designed to wear you down. First was a crawl under barbed wire. This is found in every race, but the wire was hung much lower and it was real. It was sharp. People were bleeding on the other side, and that was over 50 yards away. Not 50 feet, 50 yards. Once through that you had to go up the inverted wall. It was only 6 feet high, but it was tipped back toward you so there was little purchase to help you over. Once over the wall there was a water station marking the first mile and a downhill jog of about 200 yards. That was to allow you to grab your sandbag and run back up the same hill, traverse the ridge for 100 yards, then run back down. Your 80 pound sandbag. It felt more like 100 by the top of the hill, and 150 pounds by the time you were allowed to drop it. Once we finished that we found the nicest family in the world.

Angie was struggling in the first half of the race. She had injured herself early and was suffering from a lack of water. If you are running a Spartan, bring water. Bring a hydration pack. It’s worth the extra weight. She downed water at the first water station but it wasn’t enough. She lost it all on the sandbag carry. As we jogged up a road after the carry she was already overheating when we met them. There was a family that had decided to cheer on the racers as they passed their house. The kids were giving high fives and cheering as we passed and the dad had a water hose that he would spray at racers if they were overheating. I thought Angie was going to cry with relief as he spayed us. The ambient temperature was in the mid-90s and I can’t imagine anything feeling better at that moment than the ice cold spray from that water hose.

We quickly were back into the woods when I failed my first obstacle of the day. A 30 foot high cargo net that you had to climb up and over to succeed in the challenge. I climbed up and froze. I am ashamed that I didn’t get over, but I couldn’t force myself over the shaking net. I backed down and suffered my first punishment, 30 burpees. Burpees are a painful crossfit exercise that starts in a standing position and has you drop into a crouch, kick out your legs into a push up position, do a push up, bring your legs but into a crouch, then explode into a jump. That’s one. Each failed obstacle results in 30. I had never done one before that day. They sound easy. Go ahead, try one, I’ll wait. Hard wasn’t it? Try 30. After failing an obstacle you have already spent a fair amount of energy so the punishment is always worse. I can honestly say that if I knew what 30 burpees were going to cost me I would have gotten over that net. Here again I was stunned by the community of the Spartan Racers. Everyone cheered me as I finished my burpees and clapped. They knew the pain and wanted to encourage me.

Once we cleared the woods it was time for the second obstacle group. First we had a 10 foot wall, followed by a spear throw, a 20 foot rope climb, and then three more walls called “Over, Under, Through” were you did exactly what the title said. Over the first, under the second, and through the middle of the third wall before continuing on to the next run. I failed two out of the four obstacles and did another 60 burpees. At this point I was sitting on a concrete wall and drinking water from the 2 mile marker water stop. I still had the Over, Under, Through obstacle. I was shaking and starting to think about quitting. I was doing more than thinking. I was sweating and cramping and ready to call over to the paramedic to give up. They had asked me twice if I were okay and I said yes, I just needed to drink some water. Angie brought me another cup and asked how I was. I told her and she exploded on me. I hadn’t let her stop when she was injured, I got her into this with the discount, and she wasn’t about to let me quit now. She got me up and pointed toward the next wall. I made it through and kept going. Everything gets much hazier after that, but I kept going.

We had more obstacles to conquer, but thankfully they were much more in line with my strengths. We had to carry Atlas Stones, 100 pound round boulders. We had to flip tractor tires across the parking lot. There were a couple of lower walls. We had to traverse rocky drainage ditches and climb culverts. Angie and I were humbled and happy to pass the three and four mile markers. We were both blown away by the people who were still running at this point. We had long ago resorted to walking. One vivid memory is when the course went behind the casino area where most of the restaurants are located. People were out on the deck cheering for us and promising to save beers for anyone who made it there after the race. I wanted to hug every one of those strangers as they cheered us on, wanting us to finish.

We finally made it back to the finishing complex and only had those final obstacles ahead of us. The first obstacle was the three story pallet ladder to the bridge over the road. It was surreal to look through the cargo net at giant busses passing below you. After that it was the cliff hanger wall. I mounted the wall, got halfway across and fell. I wanted to cry. I lay on the hot asphalt and tried to get up, knowing I had 30 more burpees to go. The heat from the blacktop was the only thing that finally got me moving. I could feel it starting to burn my shoulders. I had to go face the music. Almost thankfully Angie had fallen as well. We did our burpees together, encouraging each other to finish knowing the rest was something we could accomplish. We could see the finish line. The Hercules Hoist was a pulley system that had a 100 pound sandbag attached to a rope, you pulled it up and lowered it down. The only problem most guys had is the weight would pull them off of the ground or out of position so that they never had leverage. Racers took turns holding each other to the ground so they could lift the bags. After that it was through the water, over the wall, jump the fire and cross the line.

I crossed the line, received my finishers medal and collapsed. A volunteer helped me up and hugged me, telling me how proud they were. I was a finisher. A random stranger crossed the line and grabbed me, hugging me because we both made it. He was already crying. I found Angie and hugged her, starting to cry. I was beaten and broken. I was cramping and dehydrated. It took me over 4 hours to finish, but I did finish. Just like the sign promised, I knew at the finish. I knew that there was a part of me that would never be the same. I took on something bigger than I thought I could and I beat it. I survived what I thought would cause me to quit. I did it with friends and stranger’s support, and there is no way to ever thank them other than to do it again and help more people feel that same feeling.

Spartan Race Finisher!

Spartan Race Finisher!


That is the other surprise I had that day. Knowing, as beaten and broken as I was, that I would be back. Me, the fat guy that rides bicycles that has turned into the fat guy that runs 5Ks and obstacle races. The guy that probably shouldn’t have tried a Spartan Race yet, and probably should have quit before he really got hurt. I will be back. I can train harder and run the course faster. Once I do that, there are other Spartan Races to run, longer and harder ones. Once you finish a Sprint you can race a Super. That’s 9 miles and more challenges. Once you finish that you are qualified for the Beast, 15 miles and 40 obstacles. Maybe I can accomplish it, maybe I can’t, but I will be back to run the Sprint again. This time I’ll be faster. This time there will be less burpees.

There is only one other question. Who’s coming with me? It’s a year from now, plenty of time to train, are you in?

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Versatile Blogger Award

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Joe Johnson

One of the many things that I put to the side while on hiatus was my nomination for a Versatile Blogger Award. First things first I would like to thank Julie Stock for nominating me. She is a great writer, blogger, and a member of Monday Blogs on Twitter. She is one of many bloggers that welcome new voices to Monday Blogs and helps promote them as they find their audience and a consistent voice.

The Versatile Blogger Award is unique because once you have been nominated for the award, you win it. If a blogger who has won the award feels you deserve to be nominated you automatically win and you then must follow some version of the rules and nominate other deserving bloggers. It’s a great promotion device, but it is more than that. It is a way to feel validated, and in turn validate other bloggers.

Every starting blogger feels like they are speaking into the void. None of us speak about it much, but most of us obsess over it. We feel like we are shouting into the abyss. When we start blogging we write, sometimes using our best ideas, and we post to our site knowing that no one will read our work. We do it because we are writers and we have to start somewhere. We do it because we hope that this will be the week that someone notices. We do it because we hope that one day we will have a following and that people will go back into the archives. We promote our sites and we hope someone notices, but for the most part we don’t know if they do. We check our statistics on how many page views and visitors we receive and we promote until we see results in our numbers. The internet is a crowded place full of content creators, but devoid of an easy way to find an audience. You have to compete with uncountable sources of bloggers, Youtubers, Tweeters, and everyone else to get someone to come to your site to check out your blog. You scream and shout and plead and cajole in any way you can, feeling all the while like a carnival barker selling what is in the tent. You beg people to check out the site and you hope that they like your work.

Even after we get some people that come to the site regularly we bloggers still don’t know what we want to know. Does anyone care? Is there anyone out there that reads what we write and thinks “Wow, that was good!”? A reader comment goes a long way, as does people who take the time to share on social media, but most bloggers will still wonder how many people just click the link or share without reading. Well-meaning people that want to help promote you but do not have the time to read. In short, every blogger just wants a pat on the head and a compliment from a complete stranger. This award is so much more than that.

The Versatile Blogger Award is a tip of the cap from an established blogger that thinks what you are doing is not only good work, but worthwhile. It says that they are recommending your work to everyone who reads their blog, and they are doing it without reservation. It, at least to me, was instant validation from a complete stranger. A stranger who was an established writer and who wanted to let me know that she was willing to endorse my efforts in public on her blog. So, thank you Julie, that is what being nominated meant to me.

I mentioned that there are rules once you are nominated that you should follow, or at least follow as much as you care to follow them. The whole process has grown a little vague in the time that the award has existed and getting writers to follow rules is difficult enough, it gets worse when there is no one enforcing them. The most important rule is once you accept your nomination you have to nominate some number of other bloggers. The original rule seems to be fifteen, but other writers have done fewer. I like that idea because it makes being nominated a little more special.

First I would like to nominate Julia for her work on ILoveYouMoreThanIceCream. Julia writes about everything, running the emotional gamut from Legos to depression. She does it with such heart that each post is independent from the last and each touches you in a different way. She is rare in the blogosphere in that she truly crafts each post as carefully as one of her handmade cards.

My second nomination is Patty Chang Anker who blogs at Facing Forty Upside Down. Patty and I met through the 5 Boro Bike Tour and I have been in awe ever since. Patty is a force of nature, pulling amazing people into her circle and introducing them to the world. She assembled a completely diverse group of people to ride the 5 Boro Tour and I learned something from each and every one of them. She uses her blog to tell the stories of people she meets as well as her own amazing story of turning her life around by facing her fears. Patty goes big in each adventure, conquering a fear of riding a bike on the road by completing the 5 Boro Tour, learning to surf to best a fear of moving water, or taking the stage in New York to beat a fear of public speaking. Her blog is inspirational to say the least.

My third and final nomination is Brian who blogs at IWearSpandex. Brian found my blog and left a generous comment so I checked out his space. I was blown away. Brian is a talented writer that has been promoted by BikeNewYork for his ability to write exactly what it feel like to ride a bike. It seems simple, but isn’t. He also has built a professional quality web site that shares nutritional and training advice as well as reports from various rides he has participated in as a charity rider. He supplements all of that with some great links and a great presence on social media. I Wear Spandex has become a standard from what a single author website can accomplish.

So there you go, my three varied nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award. Go and check out their sites and enjoy the Labor Day Holiday if you are in the United States. Thanks to Julie for nominating me. It was great fun deciding who to nominate. Julia, Patty, and Brian have fun and go get your shiny new blog button and have fun deciding who to nominate!

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Back from the Break

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Joe Johnson

I’ve been away for a while now and I think it’s time to start the blog back up. There is a lot going on and I want to catch everyone up but first I really want to thank all of the people that have been stopping by the site while I was taking a break. Since I stopped updating every Monday there has still been a steady stream of people going through the archives and reading random posts. No one post has seen more traffic than others so it looks like you guys have just been catching up. I can’t thank you enough for that. You guys have been checking in since the last post went live all the way back in late May. That’s amazing and I can’t thank you enough. That was a huge part of what has inspired me to get back to work writing each week. If you guys are still into reading what I have to write, I need to get back to work!

A lot has been going on in my life since May. There have been some pretty substantial changes and a couple of challenges. First, I landed a new job. I went back to work for one of my former employers as a manager of a facility. I knew it would be a challenge, and it has been a large one. It has caused a fair amount of rearranging to my schedule and the first few months have been a struggle to adjust to the increased travel and professional responsibility. It is a great opportunity and I am so grateful for the chance but it has cut down on my free time. Where I used to be able to do most of my housework during the weeknights and save the weekends for family time and writing; now I am trying to cram everything into the weekends. Sometimes that works and other times it doesn’t. For a month or two it didn’t work at all. For a while something had to give and I chose to put away my blog and keep time with my wife and son as my focus. Today I finally have some time to sit and write as I do laundry for the week. Multitasking at its finest!

I also managed to injure myself. My foot was bothering me at the Five Boro Tour, but I chose to ignore it hoping the pain would go away. Sometimes you just have pain or soreness and it fades. This time it didn’t. I probably should have taken care of the issue before the Tour seeing as it affected how I rode and caused me to be in pain walking around Manhattan, but I was still hopeful that it would fade. Once I wasn’t able to job or ride I decided to do something about it. I don’t want to go into any real detail, but in late May I went in to have a minor procedure on my big toe. It didn’t fix the issue. I lived with it thinking I would heal, but ended up going back in late June when I was barely able to walk. Thankfully the second time solved the issue and I was feeling much better. This caused me to stop training for a while and get a little depressed about losing all of the ground I gained over the last year. My weight went way up and my cardio training was almost completely lost. It was hard to think about writing a positive blog when I was no longer feeling very positive at all.

Fortunately I have some great support in my family and my training partner. My wife and son supported me when I wasn’t able to walk all that well and took care of my after my procedure. They also helped me laugh a lot when I was struggling to get my shoe on to go to work or when I was falling asleep on the couch. Both asked my when I was going to start training again and what my comeback event would be. Angie, my training and racing partner was also a huge help in getting me motivated to get back to work. She was always encouraging me to get back to the gym and get the next event scheduled. She knew that once I committed I wouldn’t have a choice. We signed up for a couple of obstacle races and 5Ks and then did the insane, we committed to a Spartan Race. The story of the race is for another update, but I am proud to say that I was a finisher of the 2014 Connecticut Spartan Sprint. It wasn’t pretty, I was barely healed and way out of shape, but I finished.

After the Spartan Race I started to feel better. It was then that I realized I was also feeling the effects of mild depression. It is something that I have struggled with from time to time and with the injury and losing so much ground on my fitness goals it had started to creep back into my life. The depression was there, and it was causing me to avoid writing because I didn’t have anything positive to write about. I might have been working, but I was also far away from where I was. I won’t say that finishing the Spartan Race cured that or solved everything, but once you accomplish something so large and seemingly impossible, other challenges appear slightly different. I watched people quit. People who hit their personal limit and just rolled over and stopped their race. People who were injured and had to quit. I managed to finish. Angie and I worked as a team, both with the physical obstacles and the mental challenge, always pushing each other to keep going. I think about than now when I get to the gym to train or when I run a race. Nothing is as hard as that day was, and I finished. Nothing hurts that badly, and I finished. This too, whatever it is, can be overcome.

So I got back to work and now I am moving back towards my goals. Some I have met. I can now run for 40 minutes straight on the treadmill and complete a virtual 5K without stopping to walk. I ran a 5K in Manchester and finished in a time of 40 minutes 20 seconds, shattering my personal record of 45 minutes. Positive results that motivated me to get back to writing the blog, something that I had let sit for far too long. I started this blog because I wanted to be a writer, and I think I accomplished that goal before I took a break, but a writer writes, so here I am. I don’t know the direction the blog will take from this point. I would like to get back to weekly updates, but I don’t know if I will be focusing on riding anymore. You may have noticed that this story has a distinct lack of two wheel fitness in it. I have been struggling to find the time and the motivation to ride. I have changed from the fat guy that rides to the fat guy that runs obstacle courses. I am okay with that for right now. I am sure that I will ride again, but for now I am happy to run. So the blog will be active again, as well as the Facebook site, but I am not sure what we will focus on, but that will be part of the fun. This is still, and will always be a positive site that will celebrate all of our victories. Let go out and have some fun.

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Memorial Day

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Joe Johnson

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. It is a holiday that is set aside for remembering our fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is also the unofficial start to summer, providing a three day weekend for many and a great excuse to everyone to cook outside on the grill and have a party. There are also a ton of sales at the stores with the day off providing many people the chance to shop for big ticket items like appliances or new cars. Unfortunately this also detracts from the whole point of the day, which is to say thank you to all who served and sacrificed so we would be able to be free.

Along those lines I am going to run a repost of one of my favorite blogs from the past and take a little extra time off today. It is one that I have had some good feedback on in the past and it is also one of my personal favorites. I wrote it when I was unemployed and while that has changed, it still perfectly describes why I jump out of bed on the weekends and ride my bike as the world wakes up. I’m re-running it because I too am taking the day off to spend with my family. We are going to have some fun, but I will also set aside some time to explain a little of the meaning of the day to my 4 year old son. Then we will hang a flag on our porch as a way to say thank you to any veteran that drives by the house today.

Have a great Memorial Day today, but take a minute to remember why we have the holiday and say thanks to a vet you know. I’ll start it off by thanking my dad and cousins as well as some great friends for serving.

Why I ride:

Up. Wash face. Skip shaving. Think about cost of Electric Shave. Wonder why I do this. Think about still not having a job. Pull on chamois. Hope they hold up for a few more months. Think about the cost of replacing them. Wonder why I haven’t found a job. Eat. Think about cost of bagels. Grab protein bar for later. Think about learning how to make my own. Out to the garage. Pull on my shoes. Look at the straps as I pull them tight. Think about how long they will last. Check the bike. Tires look a little worn. Think about the cost of replacing tires. Add air and check the rest of my gear. Helmet is okay, but felt bits are falling out. Stick them back in. Don’t think about the cost of replacing helmet. Wonder why company that seemed like a perfect fit hasn’t called. Worry about mortgage payment. Worry about stress of unemployment on marriage. Worry about forgetting water. Back inside for water and remember wallet for ID and iPod. Back to garage and repack bag with forgotten supplies. Open the garage door quietly so I don’t wake my son. Worry about him and how to pay for his school. Worry about attempting a career change. Worry about not being able to be a writer. Worry about how to make writing a paying passion. Worry about not being good enough.

Quietly close the garage door. Worry about not making it home in time to help my wife. Worry about how little I have been able to help her while unemployed. Think about how supportive she had been in the drought. Mount up and head down my street. Think about which loop to take. Decide to push myself. Worry that I won’t lose enough weight to ride my new bike when it arrives this spring. Worry about paying for the bike. Wish I didn’t put the bike on order being too fat and broke to make it work. Pump harder as the street rises up to the first hill. Time my approach to the first light so I ride through on green to avoid losing my momentum up the hill. Finally see the start of the sunrise through the light fog. Laugh as my breath clouds my glasses. Feel the burn in my legs on the first hill. Wonder why I manage to start the ride on the hill. Remember that there is a bike in my future that demands better of me. Smile in appreciation of an up-tempo song on the iPod. Better to match my cadence to it for the rest of the hill. Quickly take a drink, feeling the cold water hit my throat and make it contract a little. One of the joys and tortures of an early morning fall ride, the air keeps the water cold enough to almost hurt as you drink. Think about capturing the moment later to share with readers. Start to sweat as the miles begin to pass. Worry that they seem to be going so slow as my legs seem to protest the trail that I have turned onto. Eight more miles of hill before the trail levels off. I bargain with myself, it is only a slight grade; the converted rail bed doesn’t climb that sharply. If hundreds of others can do it, I can too. I may still be fat and slow, but I am ahead of my pace one month ago, six months ago, and a year ago. A year and a half ago I would never even ride, let alone think that 35 miles is a great way to start a Saturday. Three years ago I weighed 50 pounds more and smoked three packs a day. I feel happy that my son will know I smoked one day, but he will grow up knowing a father that is trying to be fit and pass that on to him.

Check the cycle computer and see a larger number than I expect. Realize my time is good for this part of the ride and push the next two miles into the rest stop. Eat a protein bar and drink deeply. Look at the new bridge and trees and thank myself for levering my butt out of bed early enough to see the sun climb through the trees. Start to bargain with myself to push the ride a little longer and head out of the rest area. Feel the miles fly under the bike, quietly singing under my breath along with the songs on the iPod, only one ear bud in to hear faster riders approaching. Smile when I realize that I am passing more people than are passing me. I think about a year ago when EVERYONE passed me. I could only ride 8 miles at a time. I gasped for breath all the time. I thought I was going to die. Everyone encouraged me, my family, friends, especially strangers in the bicycling community. Happy I embraced the change, hopeful about changing careers and writing. Hopeful that others may see value in my communicating what I see and hopeful that I can do it well. Gliding into the turnaround I see that my time is good and I take a shorter rest, choosing to eat the protein bar on the go. Seventeen miles down, seventeen to go. I can do this.

Finish the last small hill and begin to feel less effort as the trail dips down to begin the eight miles of downhill terrain to my house. Remember that this is why I start with the large hill. Laugh as the speed picks up. Shift into the big ring for the rest of the ride. Enjoy the sun dappled trail bed as I search for treacherous sand and soft spots. Start to worry about what a crash would mean, then stop. There is too much joy in the decent, too much joy in being a fat man flying down the trail. Feeling all the benefits of lugging that extra weight up the hill, it pulls me down the trail faster and faster. I don’t think until the trail ends and I am back on the road, gasping for air and laughing like I was twenty years younger and my biggest worry was getting home for supper. I ride onto the road and smile with anticipation of the road bike and new adventures. I am still losing weight, I will make this happen. I will be able to afford it and everything else. My son is calling to me from the porch, breakfast is ready and the day will be a good one.

I open the door and can hear the dog barking and running back and forth anticipating my arrival. I can hear my wife talking to my son. I take off my helmet and earphones, stowing them away for the next ride. I feel the post ride stiffness in my legs that lets me know that I pushed just hard enough. Enough to hurt, but not enough to cause any injury. I feel the endorphin rush subsiding, but not the positive feelings it brought. There must be some way to accurately describe the post ride feelings I have, but the closest I can come to is in terms of Zen-like calm. After experiencing a version of the “no mind” I feel as if I still have problems, but they are surmountable. Things will work out. A company will offer me a job soon. Someone will read what I write, and it will connect. I have accomplished some of my goals, I can accomplish more of them. It just takes time, energy, and the willingness to keep pushing even when I feel discouraged. It is working on the bike; it will work in life as well.

That is why I ride.

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Breaking the Fourth Wall

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Joe Johnson

Every once in a while here at the blog I break down the fourth wall and talk about what has been going on in my life without much of a topic. This generally happens when life becomes hectic or I don’t have a particular topic for the weekly post. This week it is really a combination of the two. There have been some large changes going on as well as having to take a break from any type of fitness or cycling activities. Combining the two has caused me to lack any type of cohesive topic, so it’s a random catch-all kind of update this week, with the added bonus of being posted late! Some weeks it all comes together. This isn’t one of those weeks.
It’s been a very busy and slightly rough two weeks since the end of the Five Boro Tour. I was fighting a cold in the week leading up to the Tour and I thought I finally beat it. It came crashing back by the evening after the ride when my wife and son were sick and I felt like I had been hit by a truck somewhere along the route. I managed to bounce back a little the next day but by mid-week I was full on sick again. It was just a typical cold, sore throat, runny nose, congestion, aches and pains kind of thing. A little Dayquil and I was fixed up. The only problem is that I couldn’t shake it. I felt better on Mother’s Day, but quickly faded again by Monday. A quick trip to my doctor revealed sinus and throat infections. I have been on antibiotics for almost a week now and I am hoping that I finally kick this soon. I have been able to function, but mostly in a haze.

I have also been in the process of changing jobs. I love my current job but I was offered a very challenging but amazing opportunity with a former company. This has caused a fair amount of stress with the change, but I am also very excited to get to work in my new role. It has made finding a topic a little rougher in that there is a lot that I might want to write about, but in an effort to be as respectful as possible to both companies I chose to skip any topics that might bring in my professional life. Believe me, I have nothing negative to say, but I would hate to write anything that might be misconstrued by anyone at either company.

Add together extra meetings (a very good thing) and being sick (not as good) and my time on the bike or out running has been nonexistent. This is the final nail in the coffin for any real inspiration for a new topic. I tend to find my inspiration while I am training. Mostly I tend to distract myself from watching the seconds tick away in each interval by playing with new ideas for the blog. It is always a great time to get my head back on straight and to really work through ideas. Time that I haven’t gotten in a couple of weeks. Last week was covered by the Tour Report. This week I am severely lacking.

To end on a high note, Bike New York featured my Tour wrap up on their Facebook page! It created the best three day hit total for the blog. Hopefully this week’s weak update doesn’t drive anyone new away!

Either way, thanks for checking in and I’ll see you next week!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

2014 TD 5 Boro Bike Tour

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Joe Johnson

Wow. Wow Oh Wow. Some bike rides are done to train for bigger rides. They are rides that you go on knowing you are working towards something larger. Some rides are just for fun. You go out knowing you have no agenda, you ride for the joy of cycling and seeing what is over the next hill. You might also get together for a fun ride because you want to spend time with some great people. Some rides are for charity. You come together with some other cyclists and raise some money for a good cause. These are all great reasons to ride, but for an epic ride you need more than just one reason. Amazing locations, great people, great causes all blend together for the truly epic, the Wow Oh Wow of rides.

The first weekend in May is the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour of New York. The ride is 40 plus miles through all five Boros of New York City. It starts off in Manhattan, heads through Central Park, into Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and finally over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge into Staten Island. What better location, complete with the bucket list item of a climb over what was once the largest suspension bridge in the world? The tour is organized by Bike New York as their largest fund raiser of the year supporting bicycle education and outreach programs throughout the year. These include adult and child learn to ride programs as well as other educational sessions including how to buy your first bike. Getting more people on bicycles and riding is certainly one of the easiest causes cyclists can support. More butts on bikes is a great benefit for all cyclists.

Patty and I at the start!

Patty and I at the start!


I had the great people piece of an epic ride covered as well. This year I rode with Team Some Nerve, a collection of new and veteran cyclists all riding to support Patty Chang Anker, author of Some Nerve: Lessons Learned While Becoming Brave. Patty is a mom who went from cautious and staid to amazing and a force of nature. She set out to conquer her fears, not by merely beating a fear of open water or heights, but by turning each fear into an amazing adventure. Fear of heights fell to a high ropes adventure and the fear of moving water fell to boogie boarding. Fear of cycling in the city? Why not a group ride with 32000 other cyclists through all five Boros? Along the way Patty recruited people from her cycling classes, her publicist, audio book rep, and a bunch of other well-meaning people who felt called to support someone facing fears is such an epic manner.
Team Some Nerve at the start, we are the ones in bright yellow!

Team Some Nerve at the start, we are the ones in bright yellow!


Patty’s group was eclectic and that only added to the fun. We had an amazing man from New Jersey out to conquer the Tour on a recumbent bike he just bought. We had a fearless woman on a single speed determined to prove it could be done. We had a cancer survivor that showed us courage on a whole new level. We also had people willing to try something new, jumping onto bikes to go 40 miles when their personal longest rides were only 15 miles long. Into this group I brought Brian, the writer behind I Wear Spandex. It was a great excuse for us to meet up and tackle the tour.

The TD 5 Boro Tour actually starts the day before at the Bike Expo New York where all the riders pick up their tour packet and check out a great bunch of sponsors and vendors. Specialized, Bike New York, and a ton of other vendors were there to cover you if you forgot any gear as well as showcase new products. Patty even did an author signing as well as participate in a panel focusing as women cycling. I met Brian and we walked the floor checking for deals. I was able to pick up CO2 cartridges from REI as well as a great floor pump from a local vendor exhibiting.

The next morning I found my way to the preferred start corral and met up with most of the Some Nerve team. Unfortunately I was never able to hook up with Brian. I was upset that he would travel so far to be there and I wasn’t able to find him. Such was the scale of 32000 riders and cell phones that were running out of battery. I did meet many of my fellow Team Some Nerve riders and I couldn’t believe how inspirational their stories were. Some were there trying the Tour because Patty drew them in with her powerful optimism. Others were there to beat their fear of group rides or cycling 40 miles. Other riders were there to support the rest. One rider, Natasha, ended up riding the entire tour with me. A New York City resident, she trained by riding in Central Park and using her bike to commute when possible. Natasha made my day, becoming the best possible companion through the city, filling me in on where we were riding and the history of the neighborhoods. The year before my friend and I had no idea where we were riding, this year I had an expert telling me all about each Boro and bridge. Natasha couldn’t have been more gracious and welcoming. She completely made the ride for me.

Some of the views didn’t hurt either. There is something amazing about riding in New York City. There are protected cycle lanes and most of the drivers are very aware of riders compared to Connecticut where the infrastructure is lacking. I thought I would be more intimidated than I was on my way to and from the Tour, but what makes this ride so special is that every road you ride on is completely closed to traffic. Unless you run the New York Marathon, this is the only way to travel traffic free streets in New York City. You get to ride on Broadway, through Central Park, through all five boros, and over five iconic bridges. You even ride on Highway 278 up to the Verrazano Bridge. How many other times will you ever get the chance to ride on an interstate highway? Some of the views are breathtaking and there always seemed to be a new view of the city skyline. Each rest area seemed to showcase another part of the city and there were entertainment stops along the way where bands played as riders stopped for water.

Lunch!

Lunch!


At mile 40 there was a finish festival on Staten Island. Thanks to being part of Team Some Nerve there was a VIP lunch and a chance for a picture or two with Patty who not only conquered her fear but finished in a very respectable time. Natasha and I continued on to the actual end of the Tour, back in Battery Park in Manhattan, by way of an unforgettable ride in the car coral of the Staten Island Ferry. It was a whole new way to ride the ferry, with hundreds of cyclists where cars would normally ride. The ferry crew left the doors open so we could see the Manhattan sky line as we traveled.
Some of Team Some Nerve at the finish festival.

Some of Team Some Nerve at the finish festival.


My only possible reaction to it all? Wow. Wow, oh Wow!
Natasha and I at the Finish Fest

Natasha and I at the Finish Fest


Many thanks are due to Patty who invited Brian and myself to ride with her team. Patty and I along with some of the other riders have already begun kicking around ideas to keep the spirit of the team alive next year. We want to get many more people to stretch their goals and ride with us, perhaps in a program where some of the less experienced riders would get some mentorship from the team veterans. What does everyone think? Anyone want to ride next year?

Posted in Cycling, Epic Rides, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Still Stewing

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Joe Johnson

I’m still stewing about last week’s topic, the horrible treatment of Ernest Gagnon by Boombotix. They basically crafted an advertisement and had to backpedal from the fallout. The company blamed a young designer that went ahead and posted the ad without any internal review. The internet, including Reddit, reacted strongly. The company posted a public apology on their website explaining how it happened and what they would do to not let it happen again. That has me stewing because it reeks of the type of apology my four year old would make. Oops, you caught me so I am very sorry. Here’s some money and we promise to do better. Oh, and wouldn’t it be great to do something positive together? No definite plans, but we will try.

Fair enough. If, and only if, Boombotix follows through on their promises, then fair enough. Their story might be completely true and I am more than willing to allow Boombotix time to prove that they are sorry and that they are going to work with Ernest to do something positive. Maybe it was all just a corporate misstep and they will make amends. I would love to hear an update, and I will be reaching out to them to see if they can give me one. I want to know that they did the right thing and I would love to share that with you guys. I’ll let you know what happens.

There is a larger problem at work here, a larger problem that has fostered the culture that would lead some young designer to think that creating an ad making fun of someone was a great idea. We cyclists have an extremely fractured culture. I have heard it referred to as Bike Tribes; there is even a pretty great book by that very title written by Mike Magnuson. These tribes are often at war with each other. The roadies and the mountain bikers argue constantly. The cyclocrossers end up in the middle somewhere. No one gets along with triathletes because they don’t even want to be cyclists. We fight with each other over disciplines and then we also fight with each other over who belongs or who can even call themselves a cyclist.

Regular readers know I am a big guy, so my sympathies lie with the Clydesdales. That is the term for larger cyclists. One day I might be small enough to call myself that, but for now I am a fat guy in spandex. I get that, no one knows it better than me. I may be fat, but I’m not blind or deaf. I see and hear how other cyclists treat me, even when they don’t realize that I do. The laughing, pointing, staring. The wondering if I should be out there and the misplaced concern that I might hurt myself. The message from some cyclists is loud and clear. I don’t belong. They are sleek and fast, athletes of endurance. They train and dedicate their lives to cycling and shouldn’t have to put up with me in their midst. This is why I ride alone. I don’t race, I don’t group ride, I keep to myself in charity rides. I am not asking to be welcomed into group rides with open arms, just ignore me if you don’t have anything nice to say. I would be much happier with your indifference than you scorn.

This attitude bleeds over into the general culture of cycling. The main cycling corporations have the same attitude. Go to any manufacturer’s website and see for yourself. Bikes are built to a certain standard. Every one of them has a weight limit, even if you have to dig to find it buried in the specifications page. I once wanted to buy a carbon bike from Scott but the weight limit was around 225 pounds. Trek and Specialized have two of the better weight limits. They come in around 275 pounds for their road bikes. My hybrid Trek has a weight limit of 300 pounds but I was more than that when I started riding it. I popped spokes and stressed the rest of the bike until I got under that weight.

Not all cyclists are like this. Most are incredibly welcoming and inclusive. I am actually taking a huge step for me by riding with Team Some Nerve this weekend in the 5 Boro Tour. It is easier because I know I have friends from blogging to ride with me. Some others look to me for help and support as one of the more experienced cyclists in the group. I know that good people are on bikes everywhere and I rarely have serious blatant issues, but it is still a concern for me. I will ride this weekend and hope for the best, knowing that at least 40 other riders will be wearing the same bright yellow shirt that I will have on.

The problem will still exist. The riders that see themselves as better than me or anyone else that isn’t their body type will never go away. That’s almost okay in that it’s inevitable that there will be jerks in the world. It matters more how we deal with them than that they exist in the first place. The real issue is that cycling as a culture tends to tolerate them. We cyclists need to be more welcoming to new riders and understand that not everyone is going to look good in spandex. Apparel companies could help this by making clothes for larger riders. I have mentions Fat Lad at the Back here before; they are reaping the reward of serving these riders. They offer cycling kit made for bigger riders and customers are beating down their door to buy. Imagine if bike makers took the same approach. I know that I would be first in line for a carbon bike that was made for me and not a 125 pound rider.

Companies should be open to serving all types of customers. They should be willing to fill the niches of the market for two reasons. The first is profit. Cycling is not a cheap sport. We are already spending money; I would rather spend it on clothing and gear that fits. The second reason is much more important. The sport of Cycling is a small community. Compared with other sports we barely have any public recognition. Once a year people take notice of the sport as the Tour de France runs and then cycling fades away. The more people we have on bikes, the better. The more welcome they feel and the more involved they become, the better it is for the whole community. We all complain that there is never enough support for better infrastructure or awareness, but we don’t always see that the easiest way to fix this is by putting more people on more bikes more often. Cycling manufacturers, apparel manufacturers, and the cycling community all hold the key to helping each rider feel like they belong. It is up to all of us not to blow it. It is up to the ones that do make mistakes to quickly fix them.

I have reached out to Boombotix, I will let you know what they say. What do you think about body image in cycling? Is it a problem? Is there a solution?

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Unexpected Inspirations

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Joe Johnson

I know I have been talking about running a lot, but I feel like I have been running a lot. I can’t wait to get back on the bike, but until then, I run. The gym where I run has been excellent, and I highly recommend them to anyone in the Connecticut area. I go to the Big Sky location in Vernon, but I have seen the others and all of them are pretty amazing. There are a ton of fun personal trainers, the equipment is generally pretty new and there are a million televisions to watch for a distraction while you are running. The newest treadmills have their own TV mounted to the display panel but the older ones that I prefer are pointed at a row of six separate TVs.

The other night my wife and I were running and a bunch of older movies were on the televisions. She was watching Speed 2 and I was watching Forest Gump. I was struggling through the eighth week of Couch to 5 K and generally being a little miserable. I had to run for 25 minutes straight and then sprint for two minutes. The first time through the intervals wasn’t that bad but it just wasn’t my night. We have all been there. My legs were heavy and I swear the timer was counting backward when I looked away from it. Part of the way through that second 25 minute run I was seriously contemplating quitting. No one would know or care and I really was struggling.

I looked back up at the TV and young Forest and Jenny were walking through the forest near their houses. The bully kids, the ones that had been teasing Forest the whole time, they were waiting there with their bikes. When Forest walked by them they started throwing rocks at him. This is the scene that everyone knows, even people that never saw the movie. Jenny screams “Run Forest! Run!” and Forest takes off down the dirt road. As he runs his braces break and begin to fall off. He starts kicking harder as the kids grab their bikes and chase him and, as the braces completely fall off, he runs like the wind. His pain and awkward movements are lost as he runs into the field.

I wish I could say that the scene inspired me to kick harder myself and finish my run on a high note. It did not. I did struggle through and finish without quitting early. Not because the scene inspired me directly, but because it reminded me of something else. I am still fat. I still have far to go before I will feel or look fit. I still feel like an awkward fat kid a lot of the time, but not ALL of the time. Watching Forest run was a powerful symbolic metaphor of the beginning of my journey. There was a time that I couldn’t run. I could barely ride my bicycle. I was struggling, not with braces, but with layers of fat and the weight of inertia. It was so much easier to say I couldn’t do something than try. Then one day I had enough and I tried. In secret, so no one would really know. I tried and got better and even though I felt like an awkward fat kid, I tried again and again until I could ride. Then I tried to run. Now I can do that as well. There are days, the good days, the days when I feel like I am flying on the trails, the days when the metaphorical leg braces are gone that I can see why I do this. I can see why I try. The bad days are still there, and they are legion, but I have good days and that makes the difference.

I have talked about Ernest Gagnon before on the blog. He is another inspiration. He started cycling at over 500 pounds and he is down to 305. He is one of the people that inadvertently convinced me that I could ride seriously and really lose weight. He is one of the inspirations that had me trying spandex and riding in charity rides. I have recently become friends with him on Facebook, or at least we are connected on Facebook. I know who he is but I am sure he has never read the Soap Box or knows who I am. In keeping up with him it has become apparent that I am not the only big man to ever suffer from a particular subset of cyclists that believe you must be 5’8’’ and 120 pounds to belong to the cycling community.

Let me be crystal clear. 99.99% of cyclists have been incredibly supportive and helpful. Every local bike shop I go to is full of cyclists offering support and advice. There is a tiny percentage that judge people on physical appearance, probably the same small percentage that will do that in the rest of the world. I have been a small target, most behind my back. Very few people come up to me and insult me. I fear that Ernest has had much worse happen to him. It’s sad, if they knew how hard it is to lose that much weight in an effort to enjoy the sport they would probably be more supportive. It is even worse when it is a fringe sport like cycling. It’s not the NFL, we should be encouraging EVERYONE to try cycling. We should be as inclusive as possible.

Hearing Ernest had an issue has re-inspired me. I would like to revisit my idea of banding together with other bloggers and create a safer space on line. A place where we can inspire and push each other without excluding people who might be struggling to get started. We were all beginners once. We have all felt the pain of trying to compare ourselves at the start of our journey with someone who is in the middle of theirs and believing that we have come up short. There has to be a way for bloggers, especially ones like me who are struggling with weight loss and personal transformation to found a community where we can all share our support and help others. Anyone have any ideas? Anyone? I am open to anything.

I would like to offer a standing invitation to Ernest and any other blogger to guest blog here at the Soap Box. I would love other bloggers to tell their story or offer a little inspiration. Anything they feel like doing, including speaking out about how they feel when part of their community turns against them. Or even better, how they overcome. Any takers? You can comment below or inbox me.

Posted in challenge, Cycling, fitness, life skills | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Professional Procrastination

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Joe Johnson

Brian, from IWearSpandex, recently emailed me to ask what my plans were for traveling to the TD 5 Boro Tour. We are planning on riding together and, knowing the size and scope of New York City, he was trying to set up our plan on how and where to meet. We are both excited and enthusiastic to be riding the Tour together with Patty Chang Anker, author of Some Nerve and professional Tour de Force. We just happened to be showing it in different ways. He is always organized and planning ahead. I am a professional procrastinator. I am lucky to be riding with such fun people though, let me introduce you to two of them.

Brian is amazing and you should really check out his site. He blogs about cycling, training for century rides, fitness and bio-hacks. He is a phenomenal source of information, not only for cycling but for fitness in general. He regularly blogs about his own training and fitness regimens as well as his adventures while riding century rides. I stumbled onto his blog and was instantly hooked. He even let me guest on it once. He is also an inspiration to me as someone who decided to tackle cycling when he wasn’t at his physical peak and he managed to not only survive but thrive. He is a great role model for me as I am trying to get to the thrive level. Actually, there are some rides where survive can be in questions, but knowing someone else made it is inspiring to me.

Patty is amazing. Her book, Some Nerve, is worth the read as you get a chance to see where she started out, what fueled her transformation and you get to accompany her on her journey. She is always so positive about everyone else and gives so much credit to her friends for helping her through the challenges of taking on her fears, but she sometimes downplays her own courage in tackling her fears. She tends to go to extremes in defeating her fears and that is what makes her so amazing. She was afraid to ride, so she decided to complete the 5 Boro Bike Tour. It took me a year to get up the courage to ride, she gave herself five months to learn to ride, buy a bike, learn to work on it if she had a mechanical, and learn to ride with 30,000 other riders. Along the way she also managed to put together team Some Nerve and organize 41 riders into a fun community that helps train and motivate each other so we are all ready. She also blogs regularly on her site Facing Forty Upside Down, as well as writing for a bunch of other sites. On top of all of that she has helped promote this little blog more than once as well as inspiring a post or two. Patty is a force of nature.

Brian’s email jolted me out of my routine that I had settled into lately. I had been so stressed about running a 5K race with my wife that I completely forgot that the 5 Boro Tour was the following weekend. I would feel impressed, but Brian is riding his first century of the year the weekend after the Tour. Yeah, I will be lucky to keep up with him for the first few miles! I had been focusing on my running…jogging. I had neglected my riding. I have been riding the trainer to keep some type of cycling going, but not enough. I tried to change that this weekend and promptly paid for neglecting my bike for the winter. I had a rear flat on Thursday, fixed it and bought a new tube as a spare. I woke up bright and early Saturday and tried to get ready to ride. Nothing was going right. I couldn’t find my arm and leg warmers, I couldn’t find the right bib shorts, I couldn’t even find my full finger gloves. I finally got dressed and grabbed my bike almost an hour late. I checked the tire pressure, filled the front and then blew the tube at the stem because it was dry-rotted. I admitted defeat, fixed the tire and mounted the bike to the trainer. I didn’t have time for a full out road ride, but I could put in two hours on the trainer. It was a start, but it was also a sign. It is time to take cycling as serious as I am taking running.

Brian and I will be in New York on Saturday at Bike Expo New York as patrons. I think it will be quite a while, if ever, that I would be anything else. Maybe one day. I haven’t gotten that much interest in a meet up for bloggers, but I know that Patty has an author event that evening. Check her site for information. I think I might go check that out. On Sunday we will all be riding with 38 other amazing people as part of Team Some Nerve helping Patty have a great time riding the 5 Boro Tour. Look for us in our bright yellow Some Nerve shirts and jerseys! Actually if I don’t manage to overfeed him the night before, look for Brian way out ahead of me. I will be along eventually.

Anyone else riding or planning on going to Bike Expo New York?

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Twenty Minutes

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Joe Johnson

I used to be a smoker. I quit when my son was born, over four years ago. Once you are a smoker it is something that will always be a part of your life. I still dream of smoking cigarettes. Two nights ago I had a dream where I never quit and I was still smoking three packs a day. The worst part about the dream was how I felt when I woke up. I was craving a cigarette as badly as I used to when I first quit. It does get betting, and four years in I barely even think about smoking, but every once in a while I walk by a smoker and I can almost taste the nicotine again.

I loved smoking. I loved the way it tasted. I loved going outside and smoking with friends at work. I loved the social aspect of throwing together perfect strangers who all shared the act of smoking so they would talk to each other. Outside of offices, bars, or any public building there stands a group of perfect strangers all talking to each other about how inconvenient it is too slowly kill yourself these days. They will always have the same gallows humor about it as well because they know the truth. I miss the instant stress relief and the ritual of packing the tobacco before you open the package.

I still knew it was time when my son was borne. I didn’t want him to ever think that smoking was acceptable because his parent was smoking. I also knew that I had to work to be a healthy role model for him, and smoking wasn’t a good start. I pushed myself by reasoning that I was also putting his health at risk and that wasn’t fair. I might choose to do something that was killing me, but he had no choice. So one day I started taking Chantix and I followed doctor’s orders and I weaned myself off of nicotine. One slow and painful step at a time, but I did quit.

I think about smoking every once in a while in a different context. Yes, I miss it and I don’t think that will ever change, but I also realize that I gave myself a gift by quitting. I gained a lot of weight and that led to wanting to lose it and that led to cycling. I admit that I chose cycling because it was easier than most other exercises. Cycling lets you chose your intensity and you can cheat. There are many ways to ride twenty miles. You can ride hard, attacking hills and pushing on descents, sprinting towards town lines and other landmarks. You can ride slow and enjoy the scenery. You can do a mix of both. When you are just starting you can average 8 miles an hour until you find some level of fitness but still put in miles that sound impressive. People hear a distance and they associate a level of effort that might not have been there. In short, you can cheat by going long, but easy on your ride. You can even cheat on harder rides by spinning easy after a climb until you are ready to go again. You can’t do that if you are a runner. Well, you can, but it’s called walking.

So I started cycling and instantly paid for smoking too much for too long. I managed eight miles my first ride, and I am pretty sure I coughed up most of a lung. My legs were sore, but my aerobic level was beyond pitiful. Fast forward a couple of seasons and I feel better, but I still was hesitant to try running. I still knew that there is always a bail-out on the bike. You can always coast until you are ready to hammer the pedals again. There is no place to hide when you are running, there is no coasting.

I committed to some obstacle course runs this year, and I wanted to do better than I did last year. I decided to join a gym with my wife and start jogging on the treadmill. I downloaded Couch to 5K and started running. Well jogging. More of a fast paced shuffle. I have no form. I have written a little about this and my struggle to find shoes. Well, I have found shoes and stuck with the program. The Couch to 5K program teaches you how to run by guiding you through interval training. At first the intervals are very short. You run for 30 or 45 seconds and then walk. Slowly they ramp up to running for 5 minutes at a time and walking for one or two minutes between each run. They program is set up to have you warm up, go through the intervals, and cool down in about 30 minutes. They expect you to run three days a week and go for about eight weeks. I have been doing this now for a while and I do okay. I do repeat days until I can complete the intervals with some level of comfort but I also always run them twice each day, so it is an extra-long session. I go for about an hour at a time, warming up, doing double intervals and then cooling down. The intervals have been getting longer and longer until I hit the Week 6 Day 3 program. Warm up, run for a single 20 minute interval, then cool down. No breaks to walk. Just run for 20 minutes. I had been looking at this day with fear for over a week wondering how I was going to make it through.

The day came and I jumped into it. Me, former three pack a day smoker. Me, who chose his first fitness activity based on the ability to coast. It was time to run for 20 minutes straight and try not to die. As I ran I kept thinking that this is not something I would have every tried to do five years ago. I might not have tried it two years ago either, but the person I was as a smoker would have never tried to run, let alone for twenty minutes. I would have been out of breath at twenty seconds. I would have hated myself for trying at all. I still wasn’t sure why I was trying. I was going to fail. I still dream about smoking! I am still fat! I can’t be one of those people that get on the treadmill and run for twenty minutes! I am just pretending to be able to do any of this and I am going to fail and fall and shoot off the back of the treadmill and leave a huge fat guy sweat print on the mirror behind me. Wasn’t I?

I did it. I ran twenty minutes straight. Not only that, I stuck to my program, walked for three minutes and did the whole twenty minutes over again. Twenty minutes, twice. Me. I guess in some ways this week’s update is a victory lap, but in others it is a simple thought. How awesome are people? All of us? My wife is going through the same thing with her trainer, she is pushing herself further than she thought she could a few weeks ago. So many other people accomplish so much more every day. People get up and decide that they are done being fat, or out of breath, or slow, or just not in the shape they want to be in and they change. They make a choice to change their entire life and do it against the weight of years of inertia. I think that this blog is a victory lap for us all. We all rock.

No go out there and do it again today! I have faith in you and I can’t wait to hear you tell me about it!

Posted in challenge, fitness, life skills | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments