Stay Strong - Run Long

Many times on this blog and in life I've said that "weight loss is a journey" and I am truly a firm believer in that. My journey has taken me on a 10 year road to reverse 5 years of damage. This journey has brought some bumpy roads, some blown tires and some winding roads but I feel that with everything that I've been able to accomplish so far there is a flat section of road ahead of me. Getting fat was fun. Late night pizza. Closing the bar down and stumbling home. Food challenges (have I ever mentioned that I set a record at IHOP for most pancakes eaten at one time at 25). Drinking a case of beer and then some. I would literally eat anything that was put in front of me. Food made me feel good. Food was the thing that what I was known for. I loved my wife's maternal grandmother and always will. She was a great cook and was a wonderfully caring woman. She would ALWAYS make my favorite dishes for every gathering. People remembered those things that I loved an

Many of you know that I am what is called an "Ultra Runner". I love the thrill of long distance races. I put the term "ultra runner" in quotes primarily because I will be the first to admit that not everything that I do when I am out for a run is "running". I do a fair amount of walking in races and in training which, contrary to road races, is strongly encouraged. One of things that people always ask me when I say that I am training for 50-100 mile races is "where do you find the time?" Sometimes I wonder myself where I find the time to be a husband, a father, an employee, a coach, a member of a board, a friend and still be able to run 75-80 miles per week while doing strength training and some really funny yoga. And honestly, I'm not real sure.  I do a fair amount of my runs VERY early in the morning or VERY late at night. I will wake up at 3:30am and try to get 12-13 miles in before my kids wake up for school and/or get out the door a