Help Me Run

Hello. I'm training to run my first marathon and have chosen to do so with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. While I train over the next few months, leading up to my marathon event at the end of June, I will be working to raise money to support LLS. I will be using this blog to document my training and fundraising progress.

Well that was all kind of bland, wasn't it? It's all accurate and the challenge of running a marathon is a huge undertaking, but it doesn't really tell the whole story, my story.

Five years ago, the idea of me running a marathon or even running at all for any length of time bordered on insane. Five years ago, I weighed more than 400 pounds and had given up on my life and my future. I was 39 years old and was so sure that I was going to die by the time I was 50 that I didn't care what I ate, didn't do anything to plan for a future like saving into a 401k, and was horribly depressed. I knew, just flat out knew, that if I didn't already have diabetes or serious heart problems, I would soon enough. I was in a very dark place.

That all changed with a visit to my doctor. I was suffering from terrible foot pain and finally decided to get it checked out. It turned out to be severe plantar fasciitis in both of my feet. My doctor fit me for some orthotics and we started working on turning the PF around. While I was there, he gave me a physical and did some blood work. When I came back for the follow up appointment to go over the results, I was in for a shock.

There was nothing wrong with me, at all, except for being overweight. No diabetes. No heart disease. No clogged this or enlarged that. I was morbidly obese and would eventually see all of those things, but at that moment I was free of it all. The only thing I could think was what the hell was I doing to myself?

That was August 31st, 2006. By my doctor's scale, I weighed 415 pounds.

I started working out the next day.

Four and a half years and more than 215 pounds later, I'm within sight of my goal weight and have decided to cap off my weight loss journey with another journey of 26.2 miles.

On the left, me on 12.31.06, blowing out a candle on a birthday muffin. On the right, me today, ready to run.

I realize how lucky I am. I was able to head off some potentially life-threatening health problems through my own efforts and the support of my doctor, my trainer and most importantly my wife. There are others who aren't so lucky. Their health issues can't be solved through changes in diet or by adding exercise. They are the ones who need help from us all.

My plea to you now is to donate anything you can to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and all the cancer patients they support. Do it as a way to help me meet my personal goals. Do it because you have someone in your life who has been impacted by one of the blood cancers. Do it because there is such a huge need. Whatever your reason, please donate today.

Help me run and help me support this worthy cause.