I am someone who is still on my own fitness journey. I, like many of the people I work with have had ups and downs with my fitness as well as my weight management. I understand that it is very easy to say you want results and actually want the results but that things can get in the way. I also understand that to do it on your own is not an easy thing.
I started my fitness journey in 1995. I was weighing in at around 100kg at that time. I set out to get in shape and I did. Like many others though I lost the weight quickly, 25kg in 8 weeks, and it went back on.
I settled back into life and was back up to around 95 kg when I moved in with my future in-laws to save money for my marriage to my wife Jodie who has been with me through all the ups and downs. We moved in at the turn of the century, January 2000, and I hit the ground running. It was this time I started distance running. I started by running laps of a small oval and I could not run a full lap without stopping to catch my breath. I quickly developed and was soon running 10 laps. I still remember the day I ran 7 laps and went home to tell my Future mother in-law of my achievement. I was so proud of myself and rightfully so. 10 laps became 40 laps so I thought I better get off the oval before I get dizzy.
To the roads I went. I l developed a love for running I never thought possible. I combined this with swimming and playing squash at the local gym. I entered my first race, the Very special kids 10 km run at Albert Park Lake. What an experience. I was hooked. I had become quite fit and everything was going great.
In June 2001 I married Jodie and we moved out of the In-laws, Crash, I was content. I no longer had dinner cooked and everything done like it had been. I made excuses, I stopped everything. It didn’t take long to lose the motivation. The easy runs became very hard. I always considered myself a runner but was not running very often and when I did I did not enjoy it the way I had in the past. For the next 8 years I ran sometimes but the weight went back on. I now have 2 kids and that gave me more excuses to not do the work I needed to do.
On January 5th 2009 a day I remember very well, I had to return to work after a Christmas break and before I left my 4 year old son told me I was FAT. Kids have no filters.
I got my act together I started running again. Lost a few kilos but still it is so hard. At least I was moving again. We moved to Pakenham in July of 2010. The best thing we ever did. I was running regularly and feeling pretty good. I decided at the start of 2011 I would run a half Marathon that year and a Marathon in 2012.
I trained pretty hard for the Half in August at the Sri Chinmoy Williamstown Marathon and achieved my goal of sub 2 hours. Boy oh boy did I make some mistakes. Training and racing for this distance was completely new to me. I had no friends that ran and you don’t know what you don’t know.
Goal ticked so guess what that means. Relax, yep why not my next goal is next year. I will do the Marathon at the same event I ran my half, makes sense right. Spent the rest of 2011 running but had taken my foot off the pedal.
Bring on 2012.
Here is where the good stuff starts.
This is my year, I have wanted a Marathon since the year 2000 when I first started distance running but never thought it possible. I started training, Williamston Sri Chinmoy is the goal.
In March the training was going well when Sri Chinmoy cancel that event. Devastated. I hit reset and set myself for my first Melbourne Marathon.
Melbourne Marathon 2012 was amazing. Yes it was tough but I had trained. I had now fallen in love with long runs. I now craved the feeling of exhaustion that comes with pushing yourself to run further than you ever had before. I decided I am not just here to run a marathon. I am now a marathon runner. I wanted more.
In 2013 I ran 3 marathons.
In 2014 I ran 2 marathons and a 50km but I also had an idea. I needed friends to run with.
I started a running group. The Pakenham Road Runners.
From here my life has changed dramatically. I made lifelong friends, friends I have so much respect for. I found myself helping others just to help them succeed. I found myself learning from the more experienced runners and passing those lessons on to the less experienced. I found myself inspiring others as I was being inspired by everyone around me and I became a running coach.
I now am proud and passionate of the people and the achievements my runners have achieved. I have ran many more Marathons and have decided to pass my passion on to those who need it in a more professional manner.
I have completed my personal Training qualifications where I have learnt so much about weight training and body composition and am ready to help those with whatever their goal may be.
I look forward to sharing your achievements as you live your own fitness journey.