Recapping my big 2011

It's crazy to think 2011 is almost over. I know everyone says that about every year, but this year was of particular significance to me. For those of you who don't know, I went and got my yearly check-up with the doctor in February. I knew I had gained a lot of weight since graduating from high school and even more so after I got married. But the doctor told me I was at a dangerous juncture in my life where I could really start to let myself go if I don't makes some changes my lifestyle now. I weighed in at 215, which was technically in the obese category and my blood work showed I had slightly elevated cholesterol, which shouldn't ever be a problem for a 24-year-old.

So, on Valentine's Day, I made a promise to Jen that I'd lose some weight and stop eating take-out so much. The fast food is a problem we've both had since getting hitched. I probably hadn't been to the gym in over a year, so I went and bought one of those "Biggest Loser" living-room workout videos. I was embarrassed to buy it, at first and I was even more embarrassed when I first started doing the 30-minute workouts. I was in such terrible shape and the first day almost killed me (I'm not exaggerating. I almost called in sick to work.). But after a while, doing the video six days a week, it started to get easier. I did those for about six weeks, and immediately dropped 10 pounds.

In April, I started mixing in a little bit of running. I started doing 1-mile runs around the neighborhood once a week, and by the first day of May, I pulled off my first 5k run at the Roy High track on a Sunday afternoon. I honestly almost broke down in tears, I was so excited, but I held them back, because Jen was with me and probably would think I was being over dramatic. Haha.

Also, during May, I wanted to see how I'd fare in a swimming pool. I probably hadn't swam laps in almost two years. It was hard at first, doing only a few hundred yards at a time, but I quickly realized how much I had forgotten about its benefits. I wrote about my exercise exploits on my work blog for the Standard-Examiner and about my renewed love for swimming and a local swimmer named Gordon Gridley (or Gords for those who know him) commented on it, recommending I try swimming in the 1st-annual Great Salt Lake open water marathon, which he was organizing in June. I was on the fence at first, but my friend Kelly wanted to start swimming again, as well, so we decided that would be a fun thing to try out.

Kelly and I registered as U.S. Masters Swimming members, so we could track our exercise progress and get ready for the big 1-mile race. By race day, I was down to 198 pounds and it was pretty fun, so we signed up for August's Deer Creek open water marathon. I met Josh Green, another local swimmer, who organized the 1-mile portion at the GSL race and I got a lot of good swim advice from him and Gordon over the next few months. Open water swimming was entirely new to me, given I swam in the safe confines of a lap pool in high school and the two of them have been a great source of inspiration to me this year.

Kelly and I trained pretty hard for our 5k swim at Deer Creek and that's when my shoulder pain first arrived. It was pretty bad at first, but I got some medication which helped me keep up my training regimen until the race. The race was awesome and my weight was down to 188 by then. I set my sights on the 5-mile race at Lake Mead's Slam the Dam, which was slated for October and I kept pushing through the pain. Unfortunately, a scheduling issue at work wouldn't allow me to take my vacation time and compete in the race. I was so disappointed, I decided to stage a 5-mile swim of my own, since I trained for the damn thing after all. So on Sept. 26, I went to the Roy Recreation Center bright and early, set out some Gatorade and Gel packs on the pool deck and went for it. And to my surprise, it was cake. I did it in just over 2 1/2 hours, but my joy didn't last long, for my shoulder was hurting worse than ever in the weeks that followed.

In late August, I had started supplementing my running and swimming with some work on the stationary bike. I hoped if I took it easy on the swimming and did more biking instead, my shoulder would heal. Unfortunately, it didn't and my doctor told me I needed an MRI to see if it requires surgery. I ignored him, because I couldn't afford it on my health insurance until the new year started (reset my deductible) and I kept swimming until mid November. I participated in the South Davis Masters swim meet, and a week later I did my first sprint triathlon at Weber State with Kelly and Jessica. Both events were a blast, but I finally had to throw in the towel, because it became too painful to swim more than a few hundred yards.

In the past six weeks, I've amped up my running and cycling and I'm training for my first 10k run, which is next week. Unfortunately, I'm now battling foot and knee pain, but that's life, I guess. I did a few light swims this month, but nothing major. My weight loss has slowed significantly, but I'm still losing, not gaining. I now weigh about 180 (35-pound loss so far) and I can see major changes in my body from the weight training I added to my routine about two months ago. I want to start swimming seriously again as soon as possible, but January still may be out of the question. I have an appointment with the doctor on Jan. 5, so I can finally fork out the money and start the process of rehabbing my shoulder. I'm still in the process of setting goals for 2012, so I'll have those ready to post by Saturday.

Thanks again to Gordon, Josh, Kelly, Jessica and most-of-all, Jen for all your support through this long process. It's been a helluva year, and outside of my injuries, which come with the territory, I'm now healthier than I've been in almost seven years. I still have a long way to go, but I'm looking forward to it.