Turned 54 today. It’s been a really interesting year. I restarted this blog after a 7 year absence and am happy to have done so.
This past year, professionally, has honestly been very rough. While my income did not drop, I have dealt with conduct by some people I work with, which had really thrown me. That conduct shocked me to my core.
It also took a toll on my health. Fortunately, now about nine months ago, I started to find a new path forward. I’m not someone who easily asks for help. I am generally fairly self-reliant. However, there are some fights you should not take on on your own. As an accomplished professional, finding the guts to acknowledge that was an accomplishment in end of itself.
And … the help helped. I reclaimed my feeling of being at least a semi-decent athlete for a person my age. Lost the 30 pounds I put on, and I’m now running just about as fast as I ever have.
This morning, I ran 3.9 miles, before accidentally hitting the emergency stop button on the treadmill. That, ironically, put me in a great position because my plan was going to run 7 miles this morning. So I decided for that last 3.1 miles, to crank it out as fast as I could.
I ended up with 22:45 5k, which I will take any day of the week. I believe it may be my second fastest or third fastest 5K ever. However, to turn 54, and crank out that kind of speed, I was pretty happy.
In addition, the scale has become my friend, as much as it will always be my nemesis. Had another good result this morning.
Life throws curveballs at you. I have learned through things I never imagined, that you need to be prepared to deal with those curve balls, even if you never imagined having them thrown at you. I never really thought I would be in a position to seek outside support, but I’m certainly glad I did.
It may also be common sense, but hold onto the people you love closely. When the “you know what” hits the fan, they will be the ones grabbing for you and making sure you’re still standing. Looking forward to my 55th tripped around the sun. Thanks for reading.
Morbidly Obese to MARATHON Runner 