Hey there, how's it going? It's been quite a while since my last post, but my half marathon was so successful way back then that I've run 10 more halfs plus a full marathon since June of 2011! For some dumb reason I'm currently training to run another full marathon...

My intention is to start updating this blog regularly as laid out in my opening post from 2.5 years ago. We'll see how that goes.  :)

As a little tidbit, I did manage to return to that first 5k the following year and shave almost 10 minutes off my time.

Workout Regimen

My half marathon is less than a month away, so I've been upping the mileage. I've been running about 20 miles per week, with a 5 mile run on Tuesday mornings, a 3 mile run on Friday or Saturday with my wife, and a 13 mile long run on Sundays. I also do a Fitness Boot Camp thing for an hour three times a week, so I'm starting to feel pretty fatigued. I'm going on travel next week, so it seems like a good time to back off a little and rest the old body before I break something. Did I mention I'm 49? :)

I started doing the fitness boot camp thing last August. They hold right at my work at 5:30 PM three times a week, so it's very convenient. And it's fun. There are only about 6 of us, but I've know most of them for years and years and it really is a great group. Our instructor Michelle is excellent and pushes us without being like a drill sergeant, and she has some portable tunes that make the time fly. When I first started, I was in terrible shape. With no exaggeration it took me about two weeks to get in good enough shape to work up a sweat... no lie! I would be huffing and puffing so bad because my cardio sucked that I would have to back off or fall down and/or hurl. It really feels good to be able to push hard for the whole hour now. If you have one of these boot camp things available to you, and I think they are everywhere now, you should definitely check it out. I paid for a month the first day just to make sure I committed to giving it a chance. I figured "boot camp" meant they were going to try and kill me and I might walk away after one sessions. In my case this wasn't the case, but after a month I felt so much better that I'm sold and love this stuff. An hour isn't that much time, and it's completely worth the time and expense for how much better I feel with an increased fitness level.

What it's about

I've been thinking about the success I've had lately in the realms of increased fitness level and weight loss, and it seemed like a good idea to start a blog about it. I mean it seems like everyone is blogging about everything, so why not this too? If there's anybody out there who is on the brink of turning things around in their life and not quite aware of it, maybe reading about my travails could help them get started or help them keep going.

Worst case scenario I establish a narcissistic diary. :)

Ah well, back to blogging. I have a lot to blurt out, so I think I'll start with the short version of the basics and then try to alternate between what's going on now and filling in the efforts of the past 16 months. Seems like a plan.

The "From Last to Fast" comes from my own efforts. I've been trying to lose weight unsuccessfully for a bunch of years, doing the yo-yo effect of weird and bizarre diets that resulted in losses followed by bigger gains. Finally in January of 2010 to hit 250 pounds. Ugh. I'm six foot even with a pretty average build. My wife and I bought a treadmill and I set off on a journey of renewed enthusiasm to lose weight.

Unfortunately I continued to be drawn to the fad diet like a moth to a flame, and the next few months saw limited success. What I needed was a goal! I used to run and enjoy running, and I have a belief than anyone no matter how out of shape can go 3 miles, so I found a cheap entry fee 5k to enter. It was far enough in the future to allow proper training, yet not so far away as to encourage putting off that training. It was the perfect plan!

Suffice it to say that I only "trained" three times for the race. I huffed and puffed my slow arse around that course like I was being chased by a box of donuts that I wanted to be caught by. And I finished DFL out of the men: Dead Stinking Last. WTH? I know it was possible, but I didn't really think it would actually happen! To make matters worse, I only beat three girls. And, not disparaging those lovely ladies, the three were of the Team In Training type gal that are older, slower, and basically train to finish a half marathon or marathon by walking.

That's where the "last" comes from. :)