mrcrowder.com

My running story is probably similar to that of a lot of runners: I started running because I felt like the person I saw in the mirror was twice the size of the person I was just a few years before.

It’s not about being superficial; honestly, it’s not. It wasn’t that I had to “look better.” It was that I was overweight and physically out of shape. I ate poorly and did something physically active about twice a month at best.

I’ve gone through spurts of athletic activity before. Throughout college I lifted a lot of weights but didn’t do much cardio. Late in college I tried to play a lot of basketball. A few years ago I tried playing racquetball. After that I went through a series of bicycles to try and find one I’d commit to (most notably a fixed-wheel single speed and most laughably a BMX bike). Eventually I landed on playing disc golf a few times a week, which is about the athletic equivalent to entering a Ford Taurus in a Fast & Furious car contest.

I found myself at 235 lbs, desperately wearing a full beard to disguise years of not being as healthy as I should.

Two years ago, my wife had let me pick out my birthday present in the summer. At a running store in downtown Corvallis, I picked up a pair of Nike running shoes and the Nike+ sportkit. They were one of only a couple of shoes available at that time to work with Nike+, and their whole online community was just getting off the ground.

Hmmm….I think I registered 3 runs of less than 2 miles with that kit. Then those shoes became all purpose sportswear for biking, racquetball, and basketball.

Last October, I was in Portland for class and my friend Andy was trying to encourage me to run, especially in light of the fact that we eat ridiculous meals (burgers, seafood, face-sized burritos) for both lunch and dinner every day for a week on those bachelor-type trips. The last two nights we were there, he actually pulled me out into the chilly Portland night to go for a run.

Actually it was more like walking with jogging mixed in. But we probably covered about 2 miles both nights. We kept up with it through his Nike+ program.

When I got home, I decided it felt good to get out and exercise with Andy. From what I knew about Nike+, I knew I could challenge Andy and it might keep me motivated.

I created a challenge that was Most Miles over a month and invited him. It was on.

I named it “Run Fatboy Run.” Here’s the link.

Are you impressed? Andy had been running for about 10 years. Finished marathons, half marathons. Me? Just getting kickin. He beat me by less than a mile.

Since that first challenge, November 1st of 2008, I’ve dropped from 50 pounds. And you can too.

In January, Andy and I renewed the challenge. Check out the results here. Andy, sorry to put you on front street….

I’m not a 2009 Human Race Ambassador because I’m into promoting Nike, but because I believe in the power of running and the power of accountability. Nike+ just happened to help me with both.

To train with my team this fall, join the Electric Highway. To follow what’s going on, connect with my Twitter & Facebook fan page.