At 31 years old, after losing my best friend in the World Trade Center, loosing all of my money due to mismanagement, immaturity and just generally crashing, I fell into a depression. A little over 7 years later I found myself at 331 Lbs having gained 110+ Lbs. By then (after the 7 years), I had a great wife and children and a rebirth of my career. However, deep down, I knew this couldn't last; I was convinced, I only had 2 years to live....tops. The co-morbidities related to my obesity were weighing me down- physical laziness, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, overwhelming fear & insecurity and the list goes on.
Enough was enough and I was able to make some changes that started me on the path to weight loss. After rapid weight loss, I plateaued. The weight loss was not going to be sustainable without some more changes. So I found a great personal trainer and started to get in better shape. This wasn't about looking better or having the body of Adonis, it was about my health. Health in my eyes was (at this time) just about making sure that I could feel good in my own skin, have some physical capabilities, endurance and lastly, doing all I could to increase the chance for a longer more comfortable life.
The moderate approach has never been for me. Through the web, I found obstacle races and in particular The Spartan Race. The Spartan Race is a run of varying lengths with varying obstacles (i.e. crawling under barbed wire in mud, hopping over 6-8' walls, carrying heavy weights for a distance etc..) I decided that this was for me. I don't understand why I was drawn to it? It is a masochistic way to love myself. Some say it is about the journey rather than the destination but if that was the case, I could just pick up my working out around the neighborhood and gym.
I decided to make a public commitment to complete a Super Spartan (8+ Miles/ 20+ obstacles) and topped it off with a charitable commitment to The Roots of Music. Now if I back out, I don't just let me down, I let the kids at The Roots down. The training has been picked up. The philosophy has been to "get comfortable being uncomfortable". The destination has made the journey more enjoyable and more intense. I am transferring into an athletic middle aged man...this is the journey. Instead of becoming complacent and aging, I am out fighting.
While training for the Super Spartan, I found that about 2 hours away in Milwaukee, there would be a Spartan Sprint (3+ mile race with 15+ obstacles.) and signed up. I did this with the encouragement of some Spartan racers online, friends and even had my buddy Greg say he would do it with me.
Greg and I got to Milwaukee and found all types of people, many fit, some older and some heavier. I decide to feel comfortable with this part of my journey. I couldn't be in my 20s nor could I take back the fact that I was 4 years off of morbid obesity. My journey has me at 43 having gone from 331 to 245...on my way down to 205 (the same weight I was at 14). I am getting stronger, more athletic and more determined.
Without going into the details of the race itself, I completed it. When I crossed the finish line, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Over that 1:26 minutes, I found out about myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I broke though boundaries and found some comradery. The Spartan Race "journey" has been exactly what I needed.
Here are some pictures of my journey:
Me about a year before I started to loose weight
Greg and me before the race
Weighted jump rope in the Spartan Race
Cargo nets in the Spartan Race
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We did it!
