When I started this blog, my plan was to log my impressions, event by event. That obviously did not happen, in part because the company grew so fast it soon became impractical for me, or anyone. to attend all events.
As I mentioned, I exited a year ago when Dolphin assumed total control. For over a year I attended no events - other than Las Vegas, where a runner, Jeremy Kunz, was tragically killed by a drunk driver - for over a year. I returned to observe the 2010 Ragnar Wasatch Back, which has grown from its humble beginning with 22 teams in 2004 to 1050 teams in 2010. It was bittersweet. On the one hand, the growth of the event and the impact it has in Utah is both remarkable and inspiring. On the other, I have many mixed emotions about my own departure and lack of involvement.
That said, the 2010 event motivated me to try to get fit enough to run a Ragnar. Since I broke the tibial plateau of my left knee in 2003, on doctors' advice I have refrained from running. The reasoning is that running will accelerate deterioration of the joint and force an earlier knee replacement. Now I think that, worse case, the knee replacement puts me where I have been the last seven years. Best case, the doctors are full of crap and with training the knee will be better off.
So, following the lead of Dan and Tanner, I have enrolled in a Fit4Life, or Everlasting Fitness (pick your handle), program, developed by Marci Lock. It involves 90 days of intense strength and cardio training, together with diet and mind coaching. The object is to come away both fit and with good habits that will enable me to maintain fitness and healthy eating habits for a lifetime, what little I have left.
My motivations are threefold (at least): (1) to lose the 25 or so pounds of ugly fat I gained during the final stressful stages of the Microsoft case during the late 90s (when I also went through male menopause), (2) to get fit enough to run a Ragnar, and (3) to develop the discipline that will make me more productive in all areas of my life. Re the latter, in of the attractions of this program is that it goes 5 days a week, beginning at 5:30AM. This means I will get started early, and, I hope, be more productive in the office and actually have evenings available for something other than legal work. We shall see.
As part of the process, it is my intention to blog the experience.
Last night was orientation. There are 9 other participants in the program - all women. Erin is our trainer and Kristin our coach. I have no idea yet how their roles differentiate. Both are fit, enthusiastic and beautiful. They told us of the experiences with and belief in the program, and invited testimonials both from previous participants and one participant spouse. They then asked the 10 of us to introduce ourselves and describe our own objectives. Several women were quite emotional and expressed a desire to "take control" of their lives. Others seemed to perhaps have more concrete objectives. No one simply said they want to get rid of ugly fat, and indeed I think we are all seeking something more life-changing than that.
Following our meeting we all were weighed, measured and photographed. I had promised myself I would avoid the classic before and after photos that appear in airline magazines. Despite that, I found myself following instructions to remove my shirt and strike ridiculous pose. Fortunately no one asked me to look at my photo. I do hope that, when done, I will want to see the after photo.
Once released I saw my son Dan, who had come to the gym for his personal workout. He gave me a few pointers on supplements, and assured me that the intense workouts would be both painful and beneficial. He observed that he has seen me do the equivalent of long, slow distance but never anything very intense. That's fair. I have done interval training, but that was a long time ago, back in 1993 before my last marathon.
All in all, I am excited to get going. Can't wait to see what happens
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