I JOGGED (NSV)

[Bypass2Freedom 828]

Prior to weight loss surgery, I could barely walk 5 minutes without stopping from the pain. I think the last time I actually tried jogging was with my mum when I was about 17, so like 11 years ago! And back then it was this Couch to 5k app so you would walk for a few mins, and then jog for 30 seconds and boy did that almost kill me off!

Anyway, I was in the gym today on my lunch break, and I always do 20 mins of cardio on the treadmill after my weights workout. I do 5 minutes at a 12 incline, and then lower it by 4 every 5 mins, and increase the speed (hopefully that makes sense). So during the last 5 mins of cardio, the gym was empty, not a soul apart from me, so I decided to do something I was too scared to do with others there.

I put the speed up so that I was jogging...full-blown jogging. At first I just expected my lungs to give out like they would previously, but they didn't...I was breathing fine, I was not in pain, and I realised I can do this!

I did the last 5 minutes at that pace, and I left with only a little bit of a sweat on, and no pain in my legs or lungs. I just called my dad to tell him because I think this is perhaps the first time in this journey I have felt like I love my body, and I love what it is capable of.

My NSV, that I didn't even know was on my NSV list ❤️

[AmberFL 850]

HELL YES!!!! thats HUGE!!! great job!

[Bypass2Freedom 828]

11 minutes ago, AmberFL said:

HELL YES!!!! thats HUGE!!! great job!

Thank you!!!

[SpartanMaker 838]

YESSSS!!!! I'm so happy for you!

There is NOTHING like that feeling of having a capable body. All the walking at incline you've been doing really paid off for you so far. Next thing you know, you might get bitten by the running bug like i have and be training for a 5k, 10k or more!

Remember, the vast majority of people that have lost weight and successfully kept it off for long periods of time are very active.

[learn2cook 588]

You are amazing!!!! Thank you for sharing.

[Bypass2Freedom 828]

4 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

YESSSS!!!! I'm so happy for you!

There is NOTHING like that feeling of having a capable body. All the walking at incline you've been doing really paid off for you so far. Next thing you know, you might get bitten by the running bug like i have and be training for a 5k, 10k or more!

Remember, the vast majority of people that have lost weight and successfully kept it off for long periods of time are very active.

Thank you so much!!

It's such an insane feeling!! Even when I was at my lightest when I was 20, I didn't feel this capable! I genuinely never thought I'd enjoy running 😂 but I'm gonna add that last 5 minutes of my cardio to be a jog each time now! And I've signed up for actual classes at the gym too just to see how I can progress!

How have you progressed with the running bug? What do you do? Such an inspiration!

I keep reminding myself of that and I think at the moment exercising is the only hobby I have, and I'm okay with that 😂

Edited 4 hours ago by Bypass2Freedom

[Bypass2Freedom 828]

2 hours ago, learn2cook said:

You are amazing!!!! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you lovely!

[SpartanMaker 838]

2 hours ago, Bypass2Freedom said:

Thank you so much!!

It's such an insane feeling!! Even when I was at my lightest when I was 20, I didn't feel this capable! I genuinely never thought I'd enjoy running 😂 but I'm gonna add that last 5 minutes of my cardio to be a jog each time now! And I've signed up for actual classes at the gym too just to see how I can progress!

How have you progressed with the running bug? What do you do? Such an inspiration!

I keep reminding myself of that and I think at the moment exercising is the only hobby I have, and I'm okay with that 😂

You ready for a long story? 😎

My exercise history is definitely one of extremes. I was very athletic in High School (Secondary School). I played football (American), was on the swim team, and ran track and cross country (not all of those every year). Afterward I spent time in the US Army where running was the norm, so I ran quite a bit. My recollection is that I was running roughly 30 miles a week at that time, so actually a lot more than the minimum required. Unfortunately I was badly injured while I was in the service and was barely able to even walk for a long, long time.

Once I mostly recovered from that, I got heavily into powerlifting for almost a decade. I had convinced myself that due to bad knees I shouldn't run anymore, so instead i just focused on the strength training as well as a tiny bit of cardio on the elliptical. Unfortunately, I tore up my back in a workplace accident, so from that point on, no more heavy lifting for me. This was really the beginning of my descent into inactivity and severe weight gain. The heavier I got, the less I was able to even move, until using a cane or walker had become the norm.

In addition, during this time I ended up having multiple surgeries, including 5 different shoulder surgeries, multiple knee surgeries culminating in a total knee replacement, and even open heart surgery for a bad heart valve.

Fast forward a lot and about 9 months after my bypass surgery, I was walking and backpacking pretty consistently. A bit like you, I decided mostly on a on a whim to just try jogging a bit. It was more to see if I could even do it than anything else. You have to understand with my health history, lots of my doctors would say I shouldn't run. I say I'm going to do whatever I need to do to keep myself healthy because I suspect at some point, I'll need both a revision to the knee replacement and a new heart valve. My ability to survive those surgeries at an advanced age is going to be highly dependent on my overall health.

Anyway, back to running. I was so shocked at how well and relatively pain-free the running went, that I decided to start training for a 5k. From there it's just snowballed and I've now done around 20 or so different races between 5ks, 10ks and Half Marathons. I'm not super fast (I am 60 afterall), but I am still pretty competitive in my local races, at least for my age.

I'm also lucky that I'm now retired. This means I have the time to train appropriately. I typically run 4 to 5 days a week and average between 25 and 35 miles a week. I'll probably ramp that up in 2025 because I'm targeting a fall marathon and I'd like to be around 50-60 miles a week at peak fitness before the race. At this point running is my passion, but I do still strength train twice a week to keep what strength I do still have.

As an aside, I'm strongly considering becoming a Certified Personal Trainer. Not really because I needed the knowledge, or because I expect to work in the industry (I am happily retired after all). My real goal is to help others where I can on their journey to fitness. I feel I can better relate to those that are struggling than a lot of CPTs that have always been fit. I also at least want those I work with to know I do have some knowledge of the subject (even though I've frankly probably forgotten more about training than a lot of CPTs even know).

I'm really glad you're going to keep after it. You might surprise yourself in terms of what your capable of!