Running Changes Everything - A Success Story

From one of our enthusiastic runners: Timothy Curtiss

I began running last September. I was motivated to do so after participating in a four mile fun-run/obstacle course race. Some friends were participating and talked me into doing it with them. When I signed up for the race it seemed harmless enough – run a little bit, drink a beer, do an obstacle, repeat the sequence over and over for four miles. Harmless – yeah, right. There was nothing ‘fun’ about that run at all. I had to walk the majority of the way (and by majority, I mean virtually the entire way).

Following that experience, I knew I had to start making changes in my life. I began the No Boundaries program on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 with a group run at Delaware Park. Consistent with my experience at the four-mile race earlier that month, I couldn’t run ½ mile without having to stop.

Luckily, with the support of my friends and family along with the coaches and mentors of the No Boundaries program - I forced myself to stay with the program. I am proud to say I completed my first 5k on December 1, 2012. I finished the program goal race, the Medaille College Reindeer Run. Not only did I not have to stop and walk, I completed the race in 26:50, an 8:33/mile pace. So this is what Usain Bolt feels like!

So, with a little encouragement from my new found friends at Fleet Feet, I took the next bold step and signed up for the Distance Training program at Fleet Feet. My goal would be to complete a half-marathon. Six months later, I completed my first half-marathon (The Buffalo Half-Marathon) on May 27.

The tagline of the No Boundaries Program is ‘Running Changes Everything’. It is one of the most accurate statements written.

The proof is in the numbers:

• Since not being able to run ½ mile without stopping last September, I have participated in 18 races (Four half-marathons, one 15k, one 10k, one 8k and eleven 5k’s)
• I have lost 84.5 pounds - (239.5 pounds (September 2012) to 155 pounds (November 2013))
• I have dropped from a 48R jacket to a 40R jacket, a 42” waist to a 30” waist, a 19.5” neck to a 15.5” neck