The Beginning

"The Beginning" is both a fitting and unfitting title for this post.  In some ways I feel that I am at the starting line, and in others I feel I have already finished a long and grueling journey to arrive here.  In essence, I started this blog to document training for my first marathon as a vegetarian. Some of the posts you will read here are about my running routes, cross training, recipes, or reflections about how all of it fits together between now and October 30, 2011- the day of the Marine Corps Marathon- and beyond.  But before I do all of that, I should tell you how I arrived here, and where I intend to go.

Let me start by saying that I have no interest in trying to "convert" you into being a vegetarian, or a marathoner for that matter.  Moreover, I am not writing this because I believe this what you "should" do to be healthy; everyone is different, and what works for me might not work for you.  This is not a get-slim-quick testimony, either- believe me, I have tried those, and it just isn't sustainable.  This is a peek into a journey into the realm of complete health that I have been embarking on and which has evolved for years.  Yes, I have lost a significant amount of weight over this time, and I have had so many people ask me "what it is I am doing," as if they expect me to cite a new fad diet of some kind or say that I went on the Biggest Loser.  But in reality, I have just read and read about the best ways to keep my body healthy, to give it what it needs to perform athletically and to maintain as much purity as possible.  In the end what works for me is to work out (running, boxing, swimming, yoga, cycling...) at least an hour a day and eat a vegetarian diet without refined sugars or overly-processed foods.  And I haven't had sweets in more than two years.

People often ask me "why?" or "how?" I maintain this lifestyle, or say "I could NEVER do that."  My favorite quote is: "whether you think you can or you can't, you're right."  The most important thing I have learned is that you can't set up road blocks, because you are the best one at convincing yourself you can't do something.  But as I mentioned earlier, I am not attempting to "sell" my "diet and exercise" plan by writing this blog, but I have had enough people ask me about my lifestyle that I thought it would be worth writing down.  That's why I thought I would share my story.  So read on if you will, and I hope I will inspire you (at least in part) to become the healthiest YOU that is possible.

"I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being." (Confucius)

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