Find Station
 

Mike D’s Blog: From the Couch to the Finish Line

I hated running...but I hated being fat more. I went from 280 lbs to 160 lbs and it all started with a single step. 

This past weekend I completed the longest run of my life. 20.2 miles in about 2 hours and 40 minutes. I will be running my first marathon on April 29th in Nashville. 

Now, I didn’t just wake up one day and decide I wanted to do this. It was actually a long and grueling process that all started with a photo. 

I met Adam Carolla 3 years ago. He’s one of my favorite comedians. It was awesome getting to meet him but I ended up hating the way I looked in the photo we took together. I was embarrassed of how much I’d let myself go. I decided it was time to make a change... 

So I peeled myself off the couch and started walking. The walking led to jogging until I was able to work myself up to a run. 

It was terrible. I could barely make it half a mile without losing my breath. BUT I KEPT AT IT. I tried to make progress every time by pushing myself to go just a little further. 

I finally made it to the point that I could go 1 mile without stopping. That was HUGE! Then I kept going until that 1 mile became 2 miles...then eventually I was running 5 miles, no problem!

Before I knew it, I was hitting double digits in mileage and the weight was melting off. I lost 100 pounds in the 1st year. Then in the 2nd year, I was able to keep it off and lose another 10 pounds or so. 

At the beginning of 2017,  I decided I wanted to run a marathon. I still don’t consider myself a “runner” but I found the long runs have started to become therapeutic. I’ve gotten to a point where I can clear my head and focus less on how much it sucks while I’m doing it.

The thing I do like about running is that it’s just YOU against the pavement. You control how far you want to go by how hard you decided to push yourself.  My advice to those who want to start losing weight is make little changes. Park a little further away when you go to the store...take the stairs instead of the elevator...or go for a walk around the neighborhood. Then ease your way into running. 

Push yourself to go a little further each time. It’s about making progress instead of looking for instant results. There’s no secret other than sticking with it and holding yourself accountable.  I didn’t get to where I am by being the fastest. I just never quit and stayed focused on the road ahead. 


Â