I have big plans, big goals, and big hopes. I am not too big to try.

2022 was a super difficult year in my home. Between the world continuing to spin in confusing directions, an economy joining the chaos, and lots of change, forward momentum was hard to come by. Additionally, the weight side of my health journey struggled. As a reminder, I say weight side of my health journey because this journey is about much more than the scale. I gained by about 2/3 of what I lost from 2020-2021. This was a hard pill to swallow. I felt that all I could do is eat and I simply could not step back into the grooves of success that defined the prior 2 years. But I did not and have not given up. I continue to work towards consistency in various aspects. one area is movement.

In June, I ran my first 10k. That was amazing. I used this as a litmus test to see how my body would react and to get a sense as to if longer distances would ever be in my future. Well, my body did not say no. It said “I have more when your commitment and training is ready.” Fast forward to some ups and downs for the remainder of the year and this January I completed the Winter Warrior Challenge through Marathon Sports and ran/walked outside at least a mile every day. Rain, snow, wind, sun. It was awesome and I logged about 58.5 miles for the month.

This all leads up to the limb, the step, the jump that I am taking. I signed up for the Boston Athletic Association’s Distance Medley. A 5k in April, 10k in June, and half marathon in November. Y’all, I am nervous. But damn am I excited. I feel like I have a stronger support group than ever. People who believe in me when I don’t. People who push me when I do. I have found that the running community is insanely inclusive, wonderfully supportive, and beautifully loving. I never thought I deserved to call myself part of it, but I do and they all tell me I should be here. Sometimes our own fears put up the very walls we need to overcome. But I will talk more about this community in a future blog.

So run with me, walk with me, watch me, or read along for the journey. But I ask that you lend your kind thoughts and prayers in support of me and people like me. People who need to remember they deserve to step out on that limb and go for things they are nervous about. We deserve to fight for ourselves. We deserve to be fought for.

-Ben