About the Previous Post

So my first thought at reading the article about Japan's new regulation was how impossible a standard it is and how I might communicate that visually. As I was creating the post, I realized there was a bit of glory days vanity mixed in with what I was doing. So that’s there in those pictures. More than that, though, is embarrassment at what I've let myself become. Looking at the pics is good motivation, because sometimes I forget that I was once happily healthy like that; it's easy to accept that who I am now is who I must be, when that isn't necessarily the case.

My weight has yo-yoed my whole life, but even through the thin periods I've always thought of myself as a big guy. The summer before my senior year in high school I spent the days painting or roofing houses, went home and had dinner, lifted for football a couple of hours, then trained with my younger brother's Jr. Olympics track & field relay team until dark. Then slept, got up the next morning, and did it all again. I'd already been skipping lunch during the previous spring semester, so I was strong and fit heading into that year of football and swim team. Then I let myself go for a year in college before starting a Slim Fast diet. Halfway through, I started running with my dad's high school cross country/track team. That's how I achieved the weight in the pictures and decided to run for my college team.

That first picture, especially, is much more than a vanity one. Early in my running phase that led to the college team (I grew up running with my coach dad then let it go in high school to become a "weight man"), I went to a college cross country meet with my dad and brother as spectators. I was enthralled by the elite runners who vied for the win. They were so fleet and graceful and sustained a pace for miles that most people would struggle to maintain for a minute. It was awesome. I wanted to experience that kind of physical freedom and mastery. I was only average in college, never making it to the level I witnessed, but this picture was taken on the same course a few years later and it captures in me a version of what I saw in them. It captures the joy of running for me, and reminds me why I love it. Even if I never experience that kind of fitness again, with reminders like this I'll always be drawn toward it. It’s a wonderful experience.