years now. Here have been my keys to success.

1. Realizing nutrition is 90% of the battle. I met a guy in a running group just today that runs a few 50-100 mile ultras a year. Great runner, better than me. And he’s very overweight. You cannot outrun a bad diet. It’s not possible.

2. Caloric management is the key. For me, it was about counting calories while I was losing weight. I netted about 1,200-1,500 calories a day. I don’t count calories anymore unless I get above 170 lbs (I weigh myself every day). Then I count until I’m back down to 165.

3. I found that as had to be more deliberate with what I was eating, I felt better and had more energy if I limit carbs, especially processed food. Those types of foods take more calories to fill you up, and provide less energy.

4. I have a passion for running. As I said, I know plenty of overweight runners. However, if you couple running with a healthy diet, your body will become the amazing machine that evolution (or God if that’s your view) made it. I recommend reading “Born to Run”. Your body was literally designed to be a long distance running machine, and it feels great when you get there.