Out Running the Fat Man

Had a couple relatives notice weight that I had lost at Christmas which was very nice.  If you ever notice someone has lost weight – tell them!  Most people go through a lot to take those pounds off and the recognition is a big motivator.

I was talking about all the running I’ve been doing (up to 3-4 miles a day).  My cousin asked, “How do you go by yourself?  What’s your motivation?”  First I really do like running.  Also, I pop on the headphones with some Marc Driscoll or kickin’ music and I could run for a really long time.  Mostly though I go running with two other people when I run.  They both motivate me.

The first guy is 20 years old.  He’s 5’9″, 210 lbs, built like an athlete.  He runs smooth and strides long.  His breathing is patterned and controlled.  He sweats a little but mostly he’s just making his way to the finish line.  Under control, regulated pace, the picture of health.

The second guy is my age.  He’s also 5’9″, but 280 lbs and very round in the middle.  His stomach inches over his belt line.  He runs and walks as best he can, but he can’t really find a good pace.  When he breathes is sounds like a vacuum and balloon running out of air at the same time.  He is sweating profusely, but his “running” is just a shuffle that is slower than most people can walk.  He is the picture of laziness and gluttony.

I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now.  They are both me.  I run in the middle (but closer to the fat man).  The young Doug I am running towards.  The recent Doug I am running from.  When I take a day off or slow my run dow, the fat man gets closer.  The healthy man further.  Metaphorically, it’s an uphill run as well.  It’s hard to keep going forward and uphill.  It would be so much easier to just stop or go downhill.  But if I do, that fat man will be here again.

I had to switch to a different belt.  I have a couple pairs of jeans that are really too big now.  Part of that process of moving forward may be to get rid of the fat clothes.  I keep telling myself that I want to wait to buy new clothes until I reach my goal.  Maybe pants are a small price to pay to make it harder to go back.

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