Fitness History

Like many people, there was a time in my life when I was fairly fit. 
In fact, without really realizing it, I was probably more fit than most people at various points in my late teens and twenties. 

The first part of this page is going to sound really... braggy, for lack of a better word, but it is important for me recognize that my fitness journey might not match other people. One thing that stands out is that my "starting point" ended up being pretty high and I have been in really good shape before (which makes my current fitness level all the more sad). It might also mean that getting back to a baseline level of fitness will be easier for me than for other people who may have never been fit before, I'm not really sure, but I did want to at least point this out and recongnize how my journey might be different from someone who is starting their own journey from scratch. 

High School:
My fitness journey started young. When I was in high school my mom essentially forced me to "at least try a sport." After some complaining about my compulsory enrollemtn in a sport I picked Track because I thought it needed the least amount of coordination. She stipulated that I had to go to every practice for at least a month and then, if I didn't like it, I could quit.  

It wasn't love at first sight and I certainly wasn't good at track when I started. Rather, I ran so hard on the very first day of practice that I threw up.
Every season our would Coach award the Golden Bucket to the first person of the year to throw up. I didn't even make it more than an hour before getting the "award." How humiliating for this little freshman who was already out of his comfort zone. 

And I wasn't great at running, or really even good at running, at this point and I never expected to be. I never saw myself as "an athlete," it was never a part of my identity, and I didn't believe that I was type of person who could excel at sports. I saw myself as the shrimpy, uncoordinated kid with a real nerdy side who was good at other things; like school and video games. (you know, sitting down things) 

However, I did stick with Track for the whole season my freshman year. Honestly it was probably mostly because of some really close friends on the team and because I made even more friends at practice.

I am right in the middle of this photo and I ready to give this whole "running thing" my best effort

I hate to say it, but my Mom was right, and at some point I realized that I was enjoying track and getting better at running every day. In fact, I found myself liking it so much that I stuck out the season, running the 800m, the mile, and 2 mile events in most of the races. 

I wasn't winning those races, but I was giving it my all and improving. 

People always told me I was crazy for enjoying all that running, but I liked it so much that my friends and I also signed up for Cross Country in the fall of our Sophomore year. From that point forward I was running every semester and training in between. 

All of that work and sweat really paid off and our team got good. By my Junior year we not only won most of our Cross Country and Track meets but we swept the Conference and Regional Championships and qualified for the State Championships. 

When I graduated High School I had lettered in Track and Cross Country 7 times, placed in or won races at the Conference and Regional levels and participated in the State Championships 4 times. 

My best friends and I (right) at the State Championships for Cross Country in 2006

It is also worth noting that when I wasn't running I was still really active in high school. I took my school's Weight Training class at least once a year (although I stayed pretty shrimpy). My friends and I would adventure (also known as hiking) for full days at time. Weekends and summers were spent surfing at the beach, wrestling, and playing pretty active games all the time. 

I graduated High School in 2007 running a 4:56 mile, a 10:28 2-mile, and an 18:36 5K

When I graduate high school I probably only weighed about 135-140lbs with a 30in pant size. I could probably bench press about 150lbs

College: 

I took all that momentum straight to college with me and when I started at UNC 

With my newfound ability to run essentially indefinitely (certainly compared to how I run now) I was pulled into playing intramural sports with my friends immediately my freshman year. I still wasn't particularly coordinated but I could run! 
We played at least one intramural sport every year as a friend group and ended up finally doing ok in football our senior year. 

I joined the UNC Cycling team my first year at UNC too, which was a great way for me to stay in shape and continue working my cardio. However, as much as I loved cycling, the team didn't host regular practices, rather they asked to practice independently, and traveling to competitions was really out of my price range so while I did keep cycling I did not stay on the team after my Sophomore year. 

I can't seem to track down a picture of me in my UNC Cycling uniform, but here I am on my campus bike around that time 

Around that time I was really looking for a new hobby (can't surf at Carolina) and I picked up longboarding. I made a bunch of new friends who also skate and we started the UNC Longboarding Club. This club ended up being a huge part of my life and we had regular skate sessions 2-3 times a week. Skating around campus with like 15 friends in your early 20's is easily the most fun form of exercise and I was skating all the time back then. I didn't have a car, classes were spread out, and I skated absolutely everywhere. 

Despite going out to party and drinking... more than I probaby should have... staying in shape then just wasn't hard. Everything I did was active and had me moving. Not to mention I was like 22 years old so my metabolism was higher than it is now. 

I graduated college in 2011 weighing in at about 150-155lbs with a 32ish pant size which was much more appropriate for someone who is about 5'9" 
I was a little bit "beefier" in my arms and shoulders and not quite as rail thin as I was when I completed high school. I could bench press about 170lbs

Post College - My Twenties 

When I graduated I wasn't quite as fit as I had been 4 years previously, but I could still knock out a 5k in about 20 minutes, easily run 5 miles without training for it (albeit more slowly now), and I could do 10 pull-ups without a problem. That last part being a big accomplishment for my scrawny little runner physique. 

I was really convinced that I was going to make skateboarding (longboarding) my full time job for the first year or so after I had graduated. I still had a bunch of my lonboarding budding around, my blog review blog was nearing one million views, and I was really progressing as a skater. 
It still sounds crazy to me that the nerdy kid who entered high school barely able to run was considering a career as a professional athlete (albeit in a very niche sport). 

However, I took a couple of big crashes and basically scrapped the skin off my back one time and broke my collar bone another time. I decided that I didn't really want my livelihood to depeond me not crashing every day. Which meant that skateboarding took a back burner to "real work" and I entered the workforce proper. 

My first job was mostly a desk a job at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. I would get out and to run around with our students whenever I could but my life was becoming more and more stationary. 

Fortunately, I also picked up rock climbing as a hobby around this time and really fell in love with that too. Climbing felt like a great full body work out that didn't actually "feel like working out." Each route was its own problem waiting to be solved so it was very engaging mentally and I loved the positive feedback cycle of getting better and climbing hard routes. It definitely helped that I was still super light for someone my size. 

I started climbing a lot, I mean at least 2-3 times a week, and when a position opened up at the Triangle Rock Club I jumped on it. I started running their camp programs and really kicking my climbing into a higher gear. At the gym I was surrounded by strong climbers who made me want to get better and I had the opportunity to hop on the wall or do pull-ups regularly throughout my work day. 

I was climbing 3-5 times a week and getting way stronger. I saw a change in my body composition with all this climbing and I loved it. All of a sudden I was way less of a shrimp, I was starting to get arm, shoulder, and back muscles. 

My friends and I started climbing outdoors, doing mud runs, and keeping active and it was honestly all super easy for me at this point. In my mid-twenties I was stronger than I ever had been and I couldn't imagine it slowing down. 

I'm on the right in this picture, and I think this was probably my peak overall fitness level

Unfortunately, as much as I loved rock climbing and my life at this point, the climbing gym couldn't do more than help me juuuust pay my bills so I had to look for other work. I went back into education and started teaching at the Planetarium again, but this time as a permanent staff member and not just an intern. 

I said it to a coworker on one my first weeks there, but working at the Planetarium was super fun but it also made me soft!
My entire day was spent at a desk or standing around. My friends had also all started to slow down a bit and our evenings weren't spent running or climbing anymore but at breweries and playing board games. 
I was still skating and climbing regularly, but over time that slowed more and more

My fitness level was still fairly high well into the end of twenties and I remember telling myself 
"Ok, I'm not as fit as I used to be but I can still run a 5K without an issue and do more than 10 pull-ups. I'll know there is a problem if I can't do those things"

When I hit 30 years old I was probably about 170-175lbs with a 32in pant size but I was built way more solidly had really packed on some muscle. I could bench press about 220lbs

My Thirties: 

I started my 30th year strong, not in excellent shape like I was at maybe 27, but still strong. However, working out fell to the wayside more and more often. Finding the motivation to climb, or skate, or go to the gym alone felt like such a chore. I definitely missed the camaraderie of being on a team or working in the climbing gym. 

But like I said, I was still at least doing ok

Then, one day in 2019, I was hit by a truck. This isn't a metaphor. I was riding my bike to work at the Planetarium, a pick up truck made an illegal traffic maneuver, didn't pay attention, and literally ran me over. 

I can't not describe how lucky I was not to be more injured, but I was still pretty hurt. I ended up having 6 broken ribs and a lacerated lung. 

Which meant that I could hardly move, none the less stay active. I'll never forget being in the hospital, letting it sink it that I wasn't more severely injured, and realizing how much pain I was actually in. All I could think about was how in action movies the protagonists always just walks off broken ribs... At least in my experience, that seems like an absolute fairy tale. 

I could hardly move for a couple of weeks and my doctor recommended I didn't work out for at least 3 months (longer to be safe). 

Then, the universe conspired to keep me from working out for even longer... it was 2020 and COVID locked everything no more than 3 weeks after I was cleared to start working out again. 

My wife and I took the lock down very serious and we were bunkered in our little apartment for months. We were both stuck working from home and someone despite having less to do every day (it's not like we could just go out!) I felt like working out was an even harder task than ever. 

I realized one day, I can't run a 5K and I cannot do 10 pull-ups anymore. 

The rest is history. 
I have had some stints of really trying to get back in shape, but the weight kept coming, my lifestyle had changed, and each time my results were more and more discouraging. 

Now I am 35 years old
I can officially run a 5K (super slowly and I wanna die) and I can crank out 10 pull-ups if I am warmed up and try really hard
But I can tell how out of shape I am now. Everything winds me, my cardio is honestly shot, and I am about 30lbs overweight now

This picture was an eye-opener for me

At 35 years old I am 200lbs and wear a size 35 pant
I still climb, I still skate, but I'm not really good at any of it any longer

A large part of my decline in fitness were lifestyle changes for sure, but a bigger part can be contributed to my diet. When I was younger I really didn't matter what I was eating and I carried those habits with me for a long time. Honestly I still have them. I find it way easier to run and get fast food than to cook something at home. It's super tough for me to go a day without drinking a soda. I know these things need to change and the diet part has been a real challenge for me. 

We are expecting our first child in a just few months and I want to be able to get down on the floor and play with her, I want to be able to chase her around outside without getting tired, I want to be healthy and strong until she is an adult which means I need to make some changes

This blog/diary/whatever you wanna call it is an attempt at holding myself more accountable in the hope that I can get back into a routine that sticks long term.