Running Away from Weight Gain and into an Active, Healthy Life: Bryan Sloan, TrainingPeaks Member
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 3:37PM 
On the day he signed up for his first half marathon just over a year ago, Bryan Sloan escaped from his slide into the "inevitable middle age weight gain" and began a new commitment to living an active, healthy and fulfilling life. "Feb 16th, 2009. I remember this day well. It was the day when I signed the dotted line for the Oklahoma City Memorial half marathon. Little did I know then, but I was signing myself up for something much bigger. It was the beginning of my love affair with running. It was the launching pad for my new-found love for endurance sports. It was the beginning of what I hope to be the most active, productive, and fruitful years of my life."
"I never was super active or athletic growing up. I played little league baseball, dabbled in tennis in high school, and failed miserably at basketball. Most of my efforts were futile because I was overweight, out of shape, and more committed to academics. College was much of the same. I rarely went to the gym. I never really made exercise an essential part of my life until after I left college. Even in the beginning years of my professional life, exercise was just a way for me to keep up and fight off what seemed to be the inevitable middle age weight gain. I lifted weights pretty regularly, played a lot of softball, and even managed to get back into tennis after many years of never picking up a racket. There was just something lacking though. I didn’t love what I was doing and I started to dread going to the gym. I had started gaining weight, my workouts lacked focus, and I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I needed something to get me going again, something to light a fire. This is where running came into my life."
"I went to witness my first marathon nearly 4 years ago when a friend ran her first full marathon in April of 2006. I remember thinking how inspiring it was to see all of those people struggle and fight for something so hard. I told myself then that one day I would run a marathon but I never really knew if I was serious. When I started searching for something to get me going again, running jumped to the top of my list because my employer sponsors many of the local races in Oklahoma City and pays your entry fees if you choose to participate. Registration for the OKC Memorial Marathon came upon me and I couldn’t say no."
"I was nervous. I wasn’t sure I could actually do it and I questioned whether or not I would be disciplined and dedicated enough to follow through with it. Regardless, I took the leap and with every passing week, I fell in love with running more and more. What started out as an attempt to get back into shape quickly morphed into a way of life. Now my schedule revolves around training or racing. No longer do I find excuses to miss workouts. I now find myself having to remember to not overdo it."
"After a full year of running on my own and following a Hal Higdon novice training plan, I ran my first full marathon in Dallas, Texas, on December 13, 2009. It was an experience I will never forget and one that propelled me to dream even bigger. I started 2010 with a desire to do something more. Running was still going to be the backbone of my workouts and schedule, but the thought of a triathlon seemed very appealing."
"After performing a little research, I decided to join forces with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training program to train for the Capital of Texas Triathlon on May 31, 2010. Not only would I be able to continue striving to make myself better, I could dedicate my training and hard work to help others in need. It was a perfect fit and I am more blessed than ever to be able to raise money for those affected by blood cancers while I train for my first triathlon. Each day and each dollar brings us one step closer to finding a cure and knowing that I am contributing makes every training session that more meaningful."
"Joining up with Team-in-Training also introduced me to the TrainingPeaks program for the first time. As part of our training, we were set up with a TrainingPeaks account where our coach uploaded a 16-week workout plan to take us from average athletes to an Olympic distance triathlon finishers. The TrainingPeaks program also has allowed me to easily upload workouts from my Garmin Forerunner 310XT where my coaches can analyze my progress, see details of my individual training, and give me pointers on areas I need to improve."
"For me, 2010 will also be a year where I build on the running base I formed in 2009. Late in 2009, I struggled with Achilles tendonitis and really had to survive the last month of training leading up to my first full marathon. Hopefully with the offseason rest and cross-training benefits I will be gaining from the triathlon, I can continue to improve my running and set new PRs in the marathon and half marathon. I will get my first test this year at the OKC Memorial half marathon where it all started one year ago. I have also signed up for my 2nd full marathon in October, when I make the trip to Chicago to join the mass of 45,000 people running through the Windy City.
"Along the way, I am also planning on becoming even more involved in my local running community and taking full advantage of the Brooks I.D. (Inspire Daily) program which I was accepted into in late January. I plan on running several 5ks and 10ks in the Oklahoma City metro area and test out my bike skills in some area tours and duathlons when the time allows. I also am focusing on continuing to build my blog and connect with other runners across the U.S. as we all strive to be better at what we love. I am really excited about another year of reaching new heights, pushing my limits, and hopefully inspiring others to give running a shot."
Read more about Bryan on his blog and contribute to his Team in Training efforts on his fundraising page!
Reader Comments (3)
Way to go Bryan,
March 6th 2010 is my first half marathon
and I'm now having my 2nd thoughs this week. You are doing great. Six years ago I weighed 188lbs and found out that I had a 15lb tumor and now I work out twice a day six days a week.
I am sharing your story with my nephew in hopes he see's beyound his Aun and Uncle. Who by the way use to weigh 327lbs and is now 185 and loves to run.
Thank you for sharing.
Carolynn
Way to go both of you and you also inspire me to keep going. I started training about a month and a half ago for my first half marathon in San Diego. I've been watching and reading all about this rock & roll marathon and how much I wanted to do something like this, and it tool me until now to actually do it (8 yrs later), I have a full time job, 2 small kids and go to school at night (for my master's degree) so my life is pretty busy, but I still manage (don't know how) to get up at 4 am to go to the gym for my run, and you guys just keep me going. THanks for sharing your story.
Thank you for sharing your story. I started running in Sept. 09 and haven't been able to stop. I just signed up for my first half on June 26th 2010. Thanks for the inspiration.