Here we go!

Well it's official, I'm either crazy, stupid,dumb or going through my mid-life crisis 15 years early! I'll explain: After thinking about this casually for a couple of years and seriously thinking about it for the last month, I have decided to get back into running. Not just jogging, that would be too simple, I am going to start training for a half-marathon - for those of you that don't abla runners language - that's 13.1 miles. If all goes well with that, and I somehow fall in love with running again, I may even go further and try a full marathon near the end of the year.

So that's that. I created this blog so I will hold myself accountable - so each of you following me let me know what you think or if I haven't posted anything in a while, yell at me.

I thought that it would be a good idea to post the reasons I would take on such a task. There are so many reasons so I will touch on just a few.

1. I really want to get back into shape. I don't consider myself really "out of shape" but I want to work on improving the way I look and feel.
2. I want to lose some weight. Right now I weigh 190 lbs and have 19% body fat. My goal is to get to 170 lbs or to 12-15% body fat.
3. I am a wellness coach by profession and I want to set an example for those I coach. I want to experience the challenges that they go threw when they make lifestyle changes. How can I expect people to make lifestyle changes if I can't do it myself?

My background with running:

I ran track in Jr. High and part of High School. I ran the 400 and 800 meter races. In fact, I believe that my 9th grade 4x800 meter relay team still holds the school record at Sage Valley Jr. High (shout out)!

I have never considered myself a long-distance runner. I was never in cross country because I have asthma and I thought I would die if I did those long runs. Now that my asthma is under control I will find a way to stick out the long runs. The longest that I've ever ran without stopping was during my sophomore year of High School when I ran 10 miles for track practice. I think the day after that, I quit track. Needless to say, I have never been a fan of long-distance running.

The half marathon I am preparing for is in Dallas in August and appropriately called "The Hottest Half". I begin my official training regimen the first full week of May. However, I have started running this week (just 2 miles last night) to get my body ready for this change.

I think that that is enough blogging for now, stay tuned for frequent updates. Your support is appreciated!

-Matt Young