About Me - My Running Story

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a little on the bigger side.  I wouldn't really of called myself fat. However, thats not to say others didn't say it or think it. But for me I was always just "a little" over weight.

Most of my memories as a child were centered around good things. I wasn't the kind of kid that was plagued by depression because I was "bigger". Nor did it hinder my self esteem. I lived a fun life, had lots friends and was one of the more popular kids. The way I looked at it, if I was popular or not, it really didn't matter as long as I was having fun.

 One of my earliest memoires relating to my size, was having to look for jeans in the husky section. I can remember not really knowing what that ment, but the realization that I was not small, was starting to set in. Back then it really didn't bother me, it was just who I was. I was the "big kid" in class. I was the "bigger" little brother. My brother Alex had always been thiner than me and it was ok. We were so close that it was never an issue between us.

Elementary School

It wasn't until Jr. High and High School that my size started to bother me. I cant say that it bothered me a lot, but it did hinder me from things. In Elementary I played basketball and even though I was bigger it didn't bother me too much. (Except for the time I couldn't find a jersey that fit.) However in Jr. High I tried out for the team and as I ran around with the other thiner kids, I was winded, out of shape and over weight. I knew that I couldn't cut it. So rather than suffer the humiliation of not making the team, I came up with the excuse that "I didn't want to play anymore".

From there my exercise was mostly centered around my brother. He was a starter on the all the sports be played. We would practice together, but for me, that was about the extent of it.

It wasn't until my Senior year in high school that I started running. I had recently gotten saved and was living a very different life than I had before I was saved. God was really changing me from the inside out!

My dad had been a pretty avid runner for at least 15 years at this point, but he was not saved. And I had tried to witness to him and share with him his need of salvation, but he just wouldn't hear it. So God pressed upon my heart that the only way to reach him would to do something that he liked to do. Running...Yikes! Really God?!?! Running?

My first run/hike with my dad up Wheeler Peak. So Tired!

Yup it actually turned out to be the perfect place for it. We live in a rural area in New Mexico and we have plenty of mountain trails. So it allowed for us to spend lots time together with little interruptions. Since I was new at running/hiking my dad took it easy on me. Our runs were really hikes. As we would walk I would talk to him about God, and he would listen and agree, and then I could tell when he would start to get convicted... because he would say "OK lets run now!" and off he went!

I would huff and puff and try and keep up, knowing that it if he could see that I was serious about my faith he would get saved. I knew that God was working in him, and sure enough it wasn't long until he was saved. (And the rest of my family too! But thats a different story)

Running my first half marathon!

Well we continued to run and hike all the mountains in our area and in other states. And it wasn't long until I was really running. I was starting to lose weight and was getting in shape...for the first time in my life.

Alex (brother on left) Me (Right) at 175 pounds 

I was once 230 and was down to 175. It was great! I was fitting into clothes, and they were looking good! I even ran my first half marathon. Back then I would of just called it a race, I didn't know anything about running.

Another mountain peak conquered with my dad

I started running lots of races, mostly half-marathons. Pikes Peak, Leadville Heavy Half, and even finishing a 25 mile race in Colorado called Collegiate Peaks.

After my 25 mile race

Four years passed

My running became less and less...I started putting back on the weight. As of right now I'm not really sure how it happend. Maybe it was the feeling of I am skinny now, so I can eat what I want, or maybe it was the feeling that I was doing ok so I could cut back on the running. I do know that my job because very busy, leading to a lack of time to workout, but I am really not sure. I soon found my average weight back up to 212.

I love my wife!

In 2011 I was married to my wonderful wife, Samantha. (To read about our love story click here) She is a wonderful cook and usually will make me what ever I am craving. Unfortunately my cravings had not been the healthiest. And as a result my weigh increased to 230.

BUT...

Then it happend... One night after reminiscing of how I used to run and how I sued to be fit. I went for a run again... and it wasn't terrible. I was WAY out of shape but I didn't feel all that bad. Granted it was only 2 miles, but it was a start! Right then and there a surge of excitement went through my body and I felt like "I'm gonna do this, I'm going to get back to where I was!"

So I ran off and on for the next 6 months. I had lost about 10 pounds and was feeling a little better. I was making progress.

Then mom Leeder got the bug...

My mother in law has always had the dream to run a marathon. But she always dismissed the idea, especially as the years passed. She felt like there was just no way, she could ever run a race.

After talking with her for a while, and sharing that I wanted to get back to running races again,  I was sure that not only could she run a race, but that she would run a race. I found a race for us to run, it was the Hollywood Half Marathon, in Universal City/Hollywood.

Hollywood half 

 Just like that, with our money paid, our names entered, the reservations booked, we set our goals. We started training and it was hard, but fun. Mom Leeder developed planter fasciitis, which really hindered her training and leading to lots of fear and anxiety. After some time of healing she was able to not only run her race, but run it pretty well (around 3:30). As for me I was very happy to just be back at it. I finished my half in 2:40. I was so happy to just have a recent race under my belt. And a new medal to show off. I was back in it!

Almost immediately after this race, I saw a advertisement for the Disney World Marathon, and thought, its now or never. I am almost 30 and if I dont do it now, I might never do it. If there was ever a time to get fit, it would be for a marathon!

At the time my wife was about 5 months pregnant  And I knew life was about to get really busy...Could I really run a Marathon? the distance was hard enough, but could I really train while taking care of our new born baby? Could I train for a marathon, with all the commitments I have with church and the youth ministry? I was sure going to try...I am going to try... Lord Willing I will run this marathon! And continue to live a healthy lifestyle. I was going to do Sit-ups while dealing with Spit-ups.

My running has now motivated my wife to want to run, she is signed up for her first 5K the same time I will run my marathon. We have set the goal to become a healthy, physically active family! To keep up on her progress(and motivate her) read her blog at A New Mom's Journey.