Then in 2005 I started playing pickup soccer in NYC, which got me motivated enough to quit smoking (I'd smoked for 11 years). Pickup soccer really filled a space in my life for camaraderie, competition and exercise. I remember the first time I played soccer after quitting - it was as if I had lost all lung endurance completely, and got winded just running a short 10 meters. By 2012 I had really got on a health-kick roll, doing some yoga, qigong and breath work, and quitting a few stimulatory substances that had just kept me jittery, like soda and coffee. Let me say that quitting coffee was the worst. I didn't even know I was that addicted until I went a day without it, and then it was 3 weeks of miserable hell while my entire adrenal and digestive systems reset themselves. But afterwords, the amount of energy I had was amazing! I mean, I no longer crashed at 10am, or after lunch, or before dinner, etc. I was energized!
Spurred on by some of these healthy changes, I decided to start running in May of 2012. I had run very intermittently aside from soccer, and usually didn't enjoy it. It was not easy to get beyond a few miles. But I was 30 pounds overweight, drinking excessively, and approaching 34. I knew I had to make some further life changes. My first runs in Jersey City were excruciating. I had very bad shin splints, side aches, a semi-recovered ankle from a bad sprain (yeah, soccer is rough on the body!), and tight IT bands and knees from old injuries and lack of use. By the time I moved to Minnesota in June, I had made it by walk/runs all the way up to 3 miles. I immediately charged forward into a goal to loose weight. I began running about 2 miles four or five days a week, juicing breakfast and lunch, and doing a few BodyRock workouts each week. What happened was amazing! The dedication was intense, but I lost 10 pounds the first 11 days, and after 2 months had dropped 25 pounds that stayed off. But it wasn't until I really committed to being sober that I started making huge gains. Until I did this, I just couldn't increase my mileage beyond 10-12 miles a week without pain. After a month sober, I was able to get up to 15-20 miles per week, and was able to start working on my form. Just to stay motivated, I signed up for my first race ever, a half marathon in St. Paul.
The Monster Dash half marathon was on October 26, 2012. I wanted to start the race with my sister-in-law, Barb, who invited me to run the race, and was a huge inspiration in getting me out to do longer distances. I ran my first 8 miler with her! But immediately upon the start I knew I wanted to run faster, and so I began to pass a lot of people - I ended up passing over 1,000 people during the race, which meant I had started too far back. I ran in a pair of NB Minimus Trail shoes, which I loved but had recently began to hurt my feet. Ignoring slight foot pain, I ran decently for the first 10 miles, until I hit a wall. It was really a pain wall, because my right knee and right foot were beginning to seize up. So I had to start stretching and walking, and those last 3 miles were really tough. I mean, what I was calling hills my friend argued were just gentle inclines. I was in pain, not breathing well, and just overwhelmed by the effort as I crossed the finished line. I was thrilled though, finishing in 1:49:16, a great first race! Especially thinking back that to begin with I hadn't even been able to run a half mile without massive pain and wheezing. Barb did great too, finishing in 2:02. I had now tentatively entered my journey into running, though I had a lot to figure out about my feet, knees, form, diet, and mental attitude.
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