A Fat Dads Guide to Running

Before and After

I wish I could put you in my shoes so you could feel what it’s like to drop 30lbs in 3 months. The ability to run 5km on a lunch break knowing that I used to gasp for air running to the mailbox.

How it started:

I live in a neighbourhood full of natural athletes. I hang out with them, drink with them, laugh with them but could never relate with them:

• I never ran 30k for the fun of it
• I didn’t have an app full of favourite routes to run
• I was embarrassed to track my steps

While drunk and devouring a bowl of Donair Dip, I jokingly agreed to joining them on a morning run. I have a hard time backing down from a challenge, so dusted off my torn up shoes, squeezed into my compression belly shirt and joined my comrades on a run to remember.

The failures, of which I still laugh about to this day:

• My neighbour said “he looks like he’s setting a good pace, we’ll just stay close and …” before he could finish that sentence (approximately 2 minutes in, I hit a hard stop and walked for 10 minutes)
• While I was praying for air to enter my lungs, struggling step by step my neighbours were casually catching up on sports and their weekend plans while lapping me
• We continued the pattern…