At one time, I ran a blog called Fitterverse: A universe of fitness. One of my favorite features of that blog was an interview series I did with a variety of people at different stages in their fitness journey. Thanks to the Wayback Machine, I’ve been able to recapture the text of those interviews. I’ve published them here on their original publication dates.
Pete O is the 47-year-old president of a consulting firm in the financial services industry. He lives in North Florida with his wife, Michelle, and his 10-year-old daughter Mary…both of whom have also taken up running in the last year.
Pete found Fitterverse on Twitter, and submitted his interview via email.
FV: What made you start your fitness program?
PO: After college baseball and professional golf (mini tours…never made the PGA Tour), I slowly but certainly let myself go. In college, I once ran two miles in 11:27, and going out for a three-mile run was the equivalent of walking to the mailbox. After baseball, though, even as I refocused my talents to golf, I took up smoking; and even though I hadn’t gained weight yet, I was no longer doing any cardiovascular exercise. I didn’t feel I “had” to do so anymore…so I didn’t.
I left professional golf in the early 90s, and over the next twenty years, my weight ballooned to a peak weight of around 280 in 2009…and I was still smoking. While I would go on crash diets from time to time, for the most part, my weight fluctuated between a “comfort zone” of 255 and 265.
In the back of my mind, I always knew I needed to quit smoking and get my obese body back in shape, but I always found excuses not to do so…or, more accurately, found reasons to put off the hard work that I knew it would take. In other words, I had become lazy…very lazy.
Everything changed on November 1, 2011. It was on this date that my wife’s mother suffered a debilitating stroke, and it was within a day or two that I made a definitive commitment to change my life. I had a fear of ending up in a wheelchair and having to have my wife and daughter take care of me…and it was right then and there that I decided I wanted to live a long, vibrant, and healthy life (for me and my family).
First, I chose a quit date for smoking (11-11-11)…and stuck with it.
Then, after giving myself a break so as not to overwhelm myself, I went on the South Beach Diet in January 2012…it had worked in the past, so I went back to it. At the time, I weighed 275.6 pounds.
Finally, after losing about thirty pounds – but still weighing 243 – I started running (on July 24, 2012)…and have not looked back! As my running increased, it became necessary to start adjusting my diet with more carbs, so I actually joined Weight Watchers Online, and that has been a tremendous tool that I still use today even though I have reached my goal weight.
FV: What are your goals?
PO: My original goal was to lose “about 50 pounds” and get myself to the “low 200s…210/220-ish” range. I had the mindset that I could never get to the “normal” weight range (low 180s for someone my height). After I started running, it was my goal to just run some 5Ks here and there…and I said something like, “If I can get to that weight and run 5Ks, I’ll be where I need to be.”
But I came to realize that I was capable of so much more athletically…and so much less weight wise…and the goals adjusted. When I switched to Weight Watchers (late December 2012), I set a goal weight of 175 because that was the “normal” range…versus the Obese range in which I still found myself in December. I was still hovering around 230.
Also in December, I came to realize that I was capable of running longer races, and I signed up for a five miler here in North Florida, as well as the Gate River Run, a 15K race…and it was at this time that I started thinking about a marathon.
And that is the goal for which I am currently training. I am signed up for the Walt Disney World Marathon in January, and although it’s tough for me to avoid time goals, right now my goal is to start running at the start line and stop running at the finish line. Whether that takes me four hours or five, I have to convince myself not to care (although that’s tough)…the goal of the first marathon is to finish.
FV: Are you measuring progress? How?
PO: Absolutely. I measure everything in Excel spreadsheets. I have my weight loss record (weekly weigh ins) from January 7, 2012 to this past Monday; and I have every run I’ve taken since last August 28, 2012 (the first month, I ran/walked by feel…and I looked up my distances on Google Maps when I was done). On August 28th, though, I started using the Couch to 5K App for Android…and since then, I’ve tracked everything. For every run, I track the following…
- Running Distance
- Running Pace
- Running Time
- Total Distance (Including Warm Up / Cool Down Walks)
- Total Calories Burned
FV: Have you made any progress? If so, what?
PO:
| Weight on January 7, 2012 – 275.6 Pounds | Weight on September 23, 2013 – 173 Pounds (Loss of 102.6 Pounds) |
| Run on August 28, 2012 – 1.69 Miles, 12:38 Pace | Longest Run (August 24, 2013) – 13.15 Miles, 11:57 Pace Fastest Run (July 19, 2013) – 3.12 Miles, 9:19 Pace |
FV: How long have you been working out? On your current program?
PO: Running since July 24, 2012…although I did add cross training in mid March 2013. Stationary bike and Cybex weight machines (for abs and upper body mostly).
FV: What are you currently doing for workouts?
PO: Prior to marathon training, I was cross training twice per week, but I’m actually just doing it once now…
- Monday – Cross Train (50 Minutes Stationary Bike – Intervals / About 30 Minutes of Cybex weight machines)
- Tuesday – Shorter Run (3-5 miles over marathon training schedule)
- Wednesday – Long-ish Run (Ranging from 3 miles in the beginning to about 9 miles at the peak)
- Thursday – Shorter Run 3-5 miles over marathon training schedule)
- Friday – Rest Day
- Saturday – Long Run (Ranging from 5 to 20 miles over the training schedule)
- Sunday – Easy recovery run (actually run/walk with my wife and daughter)
FV: Do you use any tools? Apps? Which ones?
For weight, I use Weight Watchers Online (and the Weight Watchers tracking app)…and I track everything religiously. I also err on the side of caution if I’m not sure of the points (like in restaurants). I’ll always assign a higher point value to food because the only person I’d be cheating is me.
For running, I started with RunDouble’s Couch to 5K app for Android. Did the whole C25K program, and then I did the 5K to 10K program. After getting through those, I graduated to a Garmin to track my runs, and I upload all my activity to Garmin Connect.
FV: What do you find difficult?
PO: Avoiding and/or caring for the nagging little injuries…well, I guess there is no avoiding them.
With an Achilles flare up about a month ago, I came to realize that (1) I was no longer 20 years old and (2) I definitely had to be careful while training. There are times when I really want to push myself during training – which might have been fine when I was 20 – but my 47-year-old body just can’t take it. As a result of my Achilles flare up, I am doing Trigger Point massage therapy four times per day, as well as eccentric heel drop exercises to strengthen my calf and soleus muscles (thus taking less pressure off the Achilles).
FV: What do you enjoy the most?
Believe it or not, I love the long runs. I like the planning aspect of the long run…figuring out the route itself, where to refill my water bottles, where to refuel with gels, and where to find “facilities” for a nature break.
But what I really love is the challenge of the long run. I enjoy the feeling that I’m going to be putting my body to a tough test (albeit at a slower pace), the feeling that I’m getting up a 4:30am on a Saturday morning to do something that most people (including my former self) are unwilling to do, and the feeling that I’m training for a “big” event…and anybody telling you that a marathon’s not a big deal I’m pretty sure has never run one.
FV: Do you have any advice for people who want to start a program like yours?
I think of my favorite quote from my favorite movie…”I guess it just comes down to one thing…get busy living or get busy dying.”
I was on a slow road to what probably would have been an ugly death…most likely heart attack, stroke, or lung cancer…and now I have low cholesterol, a normal blood pressure, a healthy BMI, and a great chance to live a long, healthy, active life. Yes, there are no guarantees…but I’ll certainly take my chances with a newfound healthy lifestyle.
But the key is to just be completely and totally committed to changing. Have goals to reach…it doesn’t have to start with a marathon…it can be to run once around a track…just have a goal. It doesn’t have to be 100 pounds…it can be twenty at first…and then go from there.
One more thing…make sure that your are accountable to someone. Find a person to whom you need to give progress updates (preferably somebody who has had similar experiences), and then give him or her progress updates every single week. I have a close friend whom I give a weekly recap every single week…and if I screw up (gain weight, miss a workout – although I’ve only missed a few due to injuries), he’ll let me know that I need to get right back on the horse. Tough love is needed.
I also have a blog where I chart my journey…and I’ve had a few thousand hits, and I definitely feel accountable to those readers.