July 23, 2010

My Three In Three Challenge

Thomas Kennedy
The Trail Jogger
In July, 2009, I was sitting on the couch snacking on a bag of potato chips when I started to get some pains in my chest. It didn't really surprise me. I wasn't taking proper care of myself. I smoked about a pack of cigarettes per day, ate crap, and rarely exercised. The couch had a permanent imprint of my butt. I had gained about 50 pounds from when I was in half-decent shape five or six years earlier. Basically, I had become fat and out of shape.

I scheduled a physical with my doctor. He told me that my blood pressure and cholesterol were high, that I was borderline obese, and that if I didn't change my habits, I was a good candidate for heart disease, diabetes, and a long list of other less than appealing health problems. He recommended that I quit smoking, lose some weight, and start exercising. That sounded like a lot of work to me, much harder than sitting on the couch snacking on potato chips. However, given the alternatives, I decided it was time to take action.

So I set three goals that I will seek to achieve within three years (by the end of 2012).

My Three In Three Challenge
  1. Quit Smoking. This one is a no brainer. If I want to get healthy I need to start here and get rid of the cigarettes. 
  2. Lose 50 lbs. OK, this one is going to be a little harder, especially if I am trying to quit smoking. I like to eat. And I LOVE to eat junk! But in order to prepare my body for the third goal, I need to learn how to eat healthy and to properly fuel my body.
  3. Complete an Ultramarathon. Yes, this one is gong to be a stretch. An ultramarathon is a running event that is longer than the traditional marathon distance. Most ultramarathons are held on trails and the shortest distance is typically 50K (about 31 miles). So a 50K trail race is my ultramarathon goal.
Well, I am happy to report that I completed the first goal around Thanksgiving of 2009. I have been smoke free for about nine months and I'm diggin' it. I am now shifting my attention to the weight loss and I am starting to jog the trails to get back in shape and start to build up my endurance for the Ultra. If you noticed, I said "jog" not "run." I don't consider what I do on the trail as running!!! I am too slow, I just jog along at a nice easy pace. Maybe that will change, but for now, I am happy being known as...


So, I plan to use this blog to journal my transition from fat to fit as I train for my first ultramarathon! If you are reading this, I hope you will find something of value in these pages. If you do, please leave me a comment and cheer me on!

Thanks for visiting. Before you leave, please take a moment to check out my latest posts. Enjoy!

13 comments:

  1. JDJul 27, 2010 02:25 PM
    Those are some great goals that you have for yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that by the time the 50K comes around you'll be running quite a bit. Good luck with all of it, I look forward to hearing about your progress here.
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  2. KenleyJul 30, 2010 05:48 AM
    Awesome! Congrats on the quitting smoking thing. That right there is an accomplishment in itself despite your other goals. You will get there. I lost 52 pounds from Jan, 2009. I have noticed that with running, I do not want to even eat junk. My body craves fruits and vegetables and all that other good stuff. You will find that out too as well. The diet and running go hand in hand. I wish you the best and look forward to following your blog here and seeing what you are about. I will make sure that you live up to the challenge.
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  3. JohnFAug 1, 2010 11:54 AM
    Ever since I was a kid, I have LOVED almost all fruits and most vegetables. Now that I've got a wife and kids, I find that I refrain from eating as much fruit, thinking they'll want some too. Usually to my disappointment a lot of the fruit ends up going bad - or just before it goes bad, we put them into a smoothie.

    I may look into Weight Watchers for the sake of a regimen - I've never followed ANY kind of measurable diet. I have noticed since I decided to quit drinking soda and to start exercising that I've also started cutting back on my portions.

    Your end to smoking is enormous and your family will appreciate it forever.

    I've started working to therapy my ankles...hopefully they'll be good enough for running soon but probably not until autumn - Ahhhhh cool weather.
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  4. runmommarunnewsAug 19, 2010 09:27 AM
    Thomas - You can't hear me, but I'm applauding over here! Fantastic goals and congrats and achieving the 1st one. That's huge! How perfect that you took up running as that will help with goal two and get you to goal three. I just finished my first 50K and it was a religious experience, lemme tell ya. I've never been so connected to myself, the earth, fueling my body, pacing, pushing and having a fabulous time. I love your race schedule and have a feeling you're gonna kick ass as you get closer to that ultra. ~Laura
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  5. mjaneSep 4, 2010 06:53 AM
    I'm so impressed. A lot of people have goals, and they can be kind of generic, but not these, they're HUGE. I've only completed one marathon (not very quickly, but I did it!) and was thinking perhaps it's too premature for me to consider an ultra, but what's stopping me? Reading your story has helped me decide what I'm going to go for, thank you! I look forward to hearing about your stories along the way. Go!
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  6. alehtolaSep 6, 2010 10:41 PM
    nice goals you have, good luck...my current goal to run in Bangkok on November is slipping due coming knee operation. Well, in the other hand,it does not sound bad to have pure holiday either:).
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  7. Karl SterlingDec 5, 2010 07:15 PM
    Great website and very inspiring. Keep up the great work!
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  8. AnonymousDec 9, 2010 03:39 PM
    Congratulations on quitting smoking and picking up trail running. I loved hearing your story and have followed a similar path myself. This holiday season will mark six years since I gave up my pack-a-day habit. Have been running trails too and loving it. Hope to see you out there someday (maybe at the 2012 rocky raccoon if i can make it that far!)
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  9. JohnDec 29, 2010 02:56 PM
    Good on you man
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  10. EeroKJun 15, 2011 12:32 AM
    Thanks for the follow in Twitter! I instantly added your blog on my reader, too bad I haven't found it before! I'm on a similar journey myself.

    I started 10 months ago with just a goal to lose weight and my plan was to do that by running. I've now lost 44 pounds (and I still have about another 40 pounds of extra fat left in my body, so not hard to guess I was in pretty terrible shape!). For the last 6 months I haven't been running to lose weight - I've been losing weight so I could run!

    Early this year I fell in love with trail running and changed my goals from finishing another street half marathon this year and two full ones in 2012 to running a 30K trail run this autumn and if everything goes as planed my first full trail marathon and some short ultra next year.

    Running has totally changed my life. I stopped smoking and drinking and I'm now a vegetarian. Pretty much everything I do is scheduled around running. And I'm loving it!

    So I'll definitely be following your endeavor and hope to see you finishing that first 50K in November!
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  11. AdamDotComJun 30, 2011 05:48 AM
    Great website. I can't wait to hear about the Rockledge Rumble.
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  12. Kevin MorganJul 7, 2011 03:11 PM
    Hey! Trail Jogger,

    We got hooked up through Twitter, and you look like a real inspiration for the kind of people I am trying to reach. That is people who need to give up smoking, lose weight, and get fit to get a life. Plus, your blog site is really nicely laid out. Makes me want to run. I have been blogging for about a year, and working to find more traffic, and I wondered if you might be interesting in linking to my blog, as we might just sent traffic both ways.

    My site is at http://athletewithstent.com. I have Lake Placid Ironman coming up in a couple of weeks, and it will be my first full Ironman since my aortic stent placement last August. I have put you on my blog roll, and will leave you there whether you like my weird stuff or not.

    Happy Trails and WELL DONE!

    -k @FitOldDog kevin.t.morgan@earthlink.net
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  13. jimmyJul 9, 2011 11:43 AM
    Hey Thomas, i stumbled on your blog while googling Wave Ascend shoe review. First of all, your story is an awesome one. Quitting smoking alone is impressive.

    Question for you...how do you become a shoe tester for Mizuno? I currently run in Ascend 5's but would love to get involved in testing the latest version.
    ReplyDelete

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