What this blog is all about

I started this blog with a race report and so I thought I ought to explain what this blog is all about. Until June of this year, I had been sedentary for the past 10+ years. I was very active in high school, playing hockey, lifting weights, and running a bit when I was 17.

Fast forward to June 2011: I weighed about 193 and started showing signs of hypertension. A total of 5 years of grad school and 1000s of hours at a desk (literally) finally caught up with me. I'd known I was spiraling out of control health-wise and I had finally had enough. Here's me in June 2011.

So a few things changed. So, after reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, decided on two things. One, I was going to run. A lot. Second, I was going to eat only plants, at least for the month of July. At the end of that period I was going reevaluate.

By the end of July I had (1) decided to keep avoiding animal products (though now I have an occasional dairy product) and instead eat high quality whole foods, and (2) committed to training for an ultramarathon. As it turned out, my buddy Jason, a scholarship cross country runner in college, was training for the Lean Horse 100 and offered to coach me to joining him.

So, now its November and I have lost 34 pounds (and counting) and am up to 40 miles per week.

I'm having the time of my life. I feel great and I feel balanced.

This blog will chart my journey from the "couch to my first 100" miler (and hopefully beyond that).


See you on the trails!