Diaries of a Nearly Dead Man

I don't know about you, but I love it when someone gets on the fitness train and makes positive strides in their life. In July I met someone like that online. She had worked hard to get her life going in a positive direction. Getting the food, emotions and fitness in one direction can be very challenging. Let's face it, a half marathon for an overweight person is no small accomplishment!

Running and learning to eat well is a winning combination for so many folks.

And so it was for my virtual buddy, Tiffany. She belonged to my crazy Facebook group. On one post she commented on how she looked like Stevie Wonder while running with her signature Ray Ban Aviator glasses. She fit right into the tenor of the group. One evening she let it slip that her husband had broken her glasses in a fit of anger.  Not unlike most online groups, some of the ladies took her domestic abuse seriously and went offline with it.

The rest of us laughed and smiled at her comments and posts over the next few months.

Like the rest of the world, we have our issues. Some of them cause us to be overeaters or have other eating disorders. The things that bind us together are the common goals of weight loss and fitness. I have also found the run community to be pretty awesome too.

Here is where they were amazing. Tiffany was murdered on Tuesday along with her father. It was all in front of the 4 kids.

They pulled together and formed a hash tag to honor her and group all the posts. It was even picked up by a local news channel and then I heard it on national news. #prgRunsForTiffany Check it out on Twitter, but especially Facebook. I am proud of the members and as you know, a lot of them are on MFP too.

Yes, I am still grieving, in shock and even angry about my friend who made me smile and wore sunglasses and t-shirts with peace signs on the front. This is just a little vent for me. Some days life is so darn serious. I am glad that I have running to manage them.

Here I am some years into my fitness journey. I have kicked smoking (unless I am on fire), drinking like a fish in a tub of Vodka, collecting Matchbox cars, watching CSI, smoking pot and eating junk food.

Anyone who knows me, knows how passionate I am about certain things.

A few years ago I started running. A lot of people start running. Some folks stick with it. For now I happen to be one of them. Running makes me feel really good - sensational in fact.

It's my new addiction.

How do you know if you are addicted running?
- you talk about it - until your non-running friend's ears bleed.
- you think about it when planning a vacation and sometimes a trip to the store.
- you have running shoes for all your non-running activities except for yoga (unless you do it at home).
- you aren't shocked by men wearing tights.
- you schedules dates for 5 pm so they are over by 8 p,. After all you need to get up and run.
- you correct others on the correct use of the word “marathon”.
- you ask your special someone to go on a running date with you.
- you believe running cures everything from colds to arthritis.
- your GPS says "3.1 miles" and you think I could run this in 25 minutes.
- you have running routes for different distances.
- your tolerance for pain exceeds your intelligence.
- runner’s high, it's about the runner’s high

David is working on his second book. Stayed tuned for details. (What?! you didn't read the first one?)

Thanks for the votes and comments. you guys rock.