A joke I used to make after EVERY SINGLE RUN I finished on Facebook was, “…and I didn’t die.” I made that joke because of a comment I made years earlier that I don’t run because I would probably die.

Yesterday after work, I set out to complete a 4+ mile run. The weather was beautiful: 81 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight, cool breeze from the East. I started with a slow pace, knowing that I’d be running a longer distance than usual. I left myself open to the option of doing 5 miles but figured I’d make that call when I hit mile 3. Well, I hit mile 3, and decided to go for a new distance best (since starting to run again two years ago) and try to complete 5 miles. The crazy part is I did it and I felt good.

I was tired. My legs were tired. But I wasn’t spent. I didn’t feel like I just wanted to sit and not move. I actually felt alright. My pace was still slow, but honestly, it was right at what most training sites say it should be based on my fastest run times right now. The science part of my wanting to run longer distances is that it helps your shorter distance runs by building up the mitochondria in your cells to store more energy. You can then draw on that energy on shorter runs by running faster. Since I have an APFT coming up soon, I’m doing what I can to increase my 2 mile run speed. As far as push ups (and most likely sit ups) are concerned, I’m good. Honestly, I can pass the run, but I want to do the best I can.

As for food, I ate some carnitas Sherry and I made on Sunday along with some caulirice that had some of my home made chipotle in it. It was yummy! I also had an apple to help with my muscle recovery. I then went to sleep a bit early and slept like a log. When I woke up this morning, I felt great, energized, and only slightly sore from yesterday’s efforts. The scale was nice to me, and I dropped about 4 solid lbs from yesterday morning’s weigh in (which was high, I’m sure, due to the sweet potatoes I had at dinner the night before).

Tonight, I’ll be going to a Johnny Marr concert (he was the guitar player and co-writer for The Smiths), so I won’t be doing any normal exercise, but I will be on my feet for a few hours, and I’ll likely be jumping around, so there’s that. I plan on doing a much shorter and faster run tomorrow after work, and then a bike ride on Sunday morning with Sherry.

Remember: I lost 130 lbs before I even began to exercise. Weight is lost in the kitchen; fitness is built in the gym or on the road. You surely can exercise while losing weight; the mental benefits are huge. But you cannot exercise away a poor diet. That five mile run I did last night? It burned 655 calories (roughly). Think about that. That’s a Snicker’s bar worth of calories I spent nearly an hour running for. A much more effective way to build a calorie deficit is to eat less than your body burns during the day.