So I have decided to register for the ING NYC Marathon 2012. The cool thing about this marathon is that it will be held on a very special day, my birthday, which is November 4th. The bad thing is……I have never done a marathon!

How this came to be.

I have never been a runner. I have never liked running. And my knees….that’s a different story. So why have I decided to register for the NYC Marathon?

With extreme sports being in my background, and since being a born-again athlete, thanks to company Beachbody and P90X, I have found new hope at my not so young age of 41. My cross-training fitness level is back to where it was back when I was in high school, and frankly, that kind of freaks me out, because most of my friends that I grew up with, are all out of shape, and unfortunately, don’t care about their nutrition. I WAS LIKE THAT LAST YEAR, until I made a decision to start this Insane Fitness Journey of mine to see how I can challenge myself to the limits.

I started training for these Endurance Mud/Obstacle races, in which, like I said, I hated running. Hence the reason why I chose the trail running option, because I was told that it would be much better on my knees. The only thing is……the off-road trails, well the decent ones, were all about 30 min to over an hour from where I lived. Talking about inconvenient right! So what I would do is go up a few miles to a paved running/biking/walking trail and run here and there. I would sometimes go off the pavement, and on the dirt/grass so that I can have less impact on my knees and feet. Well, my knees started killing me at the 2 mile mark, and this happened every single time for months.

Things change.

One day I bought some insoles, and a pair of decent trail running shoes. I hit the paved trails on this day, and guess what? All of a sudden, after 2 miles, my knees didn’t hurt anymore! SO I KEPT RUNNING =). And I ran more, and more that day, and guess what? I RAN 6 MILES THAT DAY! I couldn’t believe it. MY KNEES DIDN’T HURT. It could have been a number of things that lead to this:

I began taking joint support supplements, I bought insoles and better shoes, I kept running……..but I honestly believe that IT WAS PERSISTENCE.

I’m a Runner.

Well, I wouldn’t go that far yet =). let’s just say that I have come a long way. And there is no stopping me at this point. That’s probably the dangerous part! When I made the decision that I wanted to CHANGE MY LIFE on September 6, 2010 and get in the best shape of my life – I DID IT, and I did it at age 40. I look at Tony Horton (The Man Behind P90X) and he is 53! What an inspiration. So if he could do it, why not me right?!?!!

That’s what this is all about. I am on a life-long journey to better myself, my fitness, my health, my family life, and everything in between. I feel really good, and I am truly loving life right now.

Now I’m not going to tell you that every day is a good day, NOPE, I wish that it was like that. I still need motivation and inspiration. And even though I run an awesome Fit Club in downtown Tampa where I literally help hundreds of people monthly get their lives back through health and fitness, I still struggle with staying and keeping myself motivated. So how do I do it then? I KEEP MY GOALS IN FRONT OF ME. Cheesy….YES, but does it work DOUBLE YES!

Here’s the thing though….I could not have accomplished anything at this point without the right people in my life…you know who you are =). I thank you all for the support that you continue to give me through my journey. All of you are the reason for my accomplishments, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Wish me luck, the NYC Marathon is going to be a BEAST!

SUPPORT ME, RUN WITH ME, TRAIN WITH ME, JOIN ME.

Arnel

My Current Workout: Customized BB Workouts including P90X, Insanity, Asylum, Running, and Mountain Biking

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