It’s the season of the New Year’s resolution, but what are you gonna do for yourself?
3 years ago I was 280lbs and physically in a very bad way. I couldn’t walk without hurting, let alone run.
I couldn’t find clothes that fit and worst of all I couldn’t really see a way out of my predicament.
So I ate more junk food and remained in denial hoping that someone or something would pull me out of the mire.
I was shrinking further and further into myself whilst expanding further and further outwards physically.
But then I started running on the treadmill in the gym slowly
I was motivated to write this post after stumbling across my old calendar entries from September 2010 where I listed my treadmill runs as events.
I remember thinking to myself that I was pathetic compared to everyone else in the gym who could run seemingly with ease and no hunchback.
But looking back now I see progress. Very gradual progress.
You too will see progress if you keep track of the distances and times you run. You can use a notepad, an Excel spreadsheet or services like the Daily Mile to help you record your runs.
Any level of improvement is positive.
If I hadn’t tried to run that 1 mile in 13 minutes on the 13th of September, then I wouldn’t have increased it to 1.1 miles 2 days later. And then to 1.3 miles. And then to 2. And then to eventually 26.2 only half a year later.
It worked because I kept at it and gave myself lots of small short term goals to aim for. I never felt down on myself for too long if running wasn’t going well.
It won’t get any better until you decide to make it better.
You don’t have to set yourself unrealistic targets that will lead you into burn out two weeks from now.
Too many drive themselves into the ground in January and put themselves off exercise for the entire year by vomiting in gym toilets like bulimic school girls after a hard session.
Fitness shouldn’t be about self hatred and/or depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy. It should be about liberating yourself from your old ways step by step.
Running will add to the richness in your life if you let it in.
Using the world as fuel to burn as a runner instead of your own self loathing
They are so many legitimate targets to fuel you whilst you run, instead of your own perceived inadequacies.
For instance we’re being fucked over left, right and centre by governments that pander to the rich and the lazy. We are judged by vain empty dicks for not being beautiful enough and then sold the remedy through fragrances, clothes and cosmetics. We’re told constantly that we’re lucky to have a job regardless of how educated, skilled or hard working we are.
At every turn in life you’re told that you’re missing something fundamental and then sold the cure for a price.
Then you realise it wasn’t the cure and you feel a failure once more.
Every day they chip away at your soul and kill your spirit and your wallet.
Running for me is a way of fighting back against a society and a system I hate.
Instead of giving in and losing all hope, I’ve kept jogging and completed 2 marathons and 10 half marathons since 2011.
Every time I set off on a run my spirit expands that much more.
I’m no longer constantly on the back foot in life and for the first time in adulthood I am very optimistic about the future.
But none of this would have came around without those difficult first steps.
All you have to do is give yourself something to build upon and a little bit of time and you too will surprise yourself.
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by Matt the Angry Jogger
Matt lost 70lbs through running and has ran 13 half marathons and 4 full ones. He hates health freaks with a fucking passion and loves cheese and cider.
