Athlete Profile :: Daniel Malinski Loses 110lbs and Runs Chicago Marathon in Just One Year!

by Daniel Malinkski

For those who don't know me, I'm a working dad of 2 daughters, ages 5-1/2 and 1-1/2. My wife is pursuing her Doctorate of Pharmacy and last October I decided I wanted to run a marathon. The catch? On October 14th of last year, I weighed 328lbs. I ran my first marathon here in Chicago on October 10th...and lost 110 lbs along the way.

I get asked how I did it and usually I reply with a two part answer...first, with a lot of hard work and determination. Second, I'd say I wasn't entirely sure how I fit it in, it just sort of happened. Thinking about it, it didn't happen by chance, or by magic. I'll explain.

It happened because I have the best wife ever, supportive friends and family, an awesome mentor, a kick ass coach and a wonderful dietician in my corner. Whenever I struggled, someone was there to help keep me moving. Not to diminish my accomplishment, but I didn't do it alone. As they say, "It takes a village."

But I had a hand in it. See, I'm a planner. I'm wired that way. And looking back, it played a part in being able to have such an amazing year. Being able to balance work, the family, training, my wife's commitments was crucial.

My coach, Jennifer Harrison, set me up with Training Peaks from the start of training. So while it was new to me, it's all I have known. And frankly, I love it. I can track my workouts, my meals, routes...oh, who am I kidding, you know all this! Why would you be reading this blog if you didn't love Training Peaks? I also loved that I could export my workouts to Google Calendar.

I have a calendar there for work, for my workouts, my wife's school & work schedule, volunteering and for family events. Having it all in one place, I found, was essential for staying on top of it all. It made sense when I could look at each day. I could see that I would be able to do this. Was it hard? Sure. Were there bad days or weeks? Definitely. But I, no, we made it through.

My advice to those just starting out training for an endurance event:

1. Utilize the tools and resources you have at your disposal. From TrainingPeaks, Google Calendar, your smart phone, to your coach, mentor, friends and family- they all will play a key role.
2. Play to your strengths. This ties in with #1...if you're not a good planner, find someone to give you some tips. If you struggle, reach out to family and friends - they love you and will support you the best way they can. Your coach is your coach for a reason, trust them and trust their plan...don't change things up because you think you know better.
3. Communication is important. With all of the people I listed above...it's vital. Oh yeah, I didn't mention how I talked to my wife about training for a marathon, did I? Yeah, I made this life changing decision during the day. By the time I got home I had a charity, a mentor, a coach and a sponsor store all in place. I didn't have my wife's support. I sprung it on her and that is my biggest regret of the year. I wish I had sought out her opinion first, before deciding to tackle the challenge. You're darn tootin' we talked after the marathon, before I planned anything for 2011.
4. Stay organized, but don't dwell. Looking at the big picture, at a glance, is fine. Don't dwell on it. I struggled at first to just focus on the task at hand and take things a day at a time.
5. Enjoy the ride. Remember why you're doing this. To be healthy, to improve yourself and because it's fun. When you're down, remember it's just running, or swimming, or biking...see it for what it is and keep things in perspective. Enjoy it.

Well, thanks for letting me share and for reading!  More later!