While I could write about the marathon itself (especially how up until mile marker 20 I felt great then my legs felt as if they caught fire) the journey to get to the race is more significant.

Throughout my adult life my physical fitness level was the typical seesaw you often hear about. Over a period of nearly 2 decades my weight ranged from a low of 160 to a high of 283. I would develop good habits only to fall off the wagon and become worse off than ever before. When I hit the 283 lb mark and realized I was trending towards 300 pounds I snapped. Then I changed.

A lot of folks in the fitness industry at the time were too busy trying to make themselves rich with complex schemes. For example one well known company created a dietary point system with little to no real meaning that did not teach good habits (if I ate a food with the right fiber to fat ratio I could eat all day and still lose weight – not realistic). What it did do is create a dependency on their reference materials.

Of course several people were following the “all carbs are evil” approach at that time as well. That one did have an appealing aspect to it: everybody loves to be told you can eat all you want and still lose weight. However, as with other diets or pills that seek to eliminate or block one of the basic components of food (protein, carbs, fat) most of the weight loss was actually water.

I love to keep things simple if at all possible. I decided to focus on the fundamental rule of weight loss: calorie intake must be less than calorie expenditure. My diet plan was set and I didn’t even need to use Staples’ “Easy Button”.  To increase my fitness level I put my money where my mouth is (or was) and bought a treadmill. If you are “on the fence” about starting an exercise routine a big purchase like that will get you moving:)

Now that I had my diet plan and exercise equipment it was time to get to work. I monitored my food intake, exercised 30 minutes a day, and….that’s it. No fad diets, magical contraptions, or pills needed. I lost over 90 pounds that year. It was that simple.

Once the weight was off and had stabilized I increased my workout intensity over the last 2 years. My routine included alternating running, cycling, and weightlifting.

For most of this year I pushed myself harder biking than I did running. I typically ran 6-8 miles per outing and biked up to 38 miles per outing. I ran 10 miles once and thought I will never run that far again. Just those extra couple miles made a big difference.

However, in late September Crown Center ran a Facebook contest with the prize being a free entry in the KC Marathon. All you had to do was send a message stating which race (full marathon, half marathon, or 5k) you wanted to run. Remembering my 10 mile run I played it safe and stated I wanted to run the half marathon. Later that day I found out I won an entry and had 15 days to train.

The best way to train for something is to actually do it so I loaded the half marathon course into my GPS and ran it a few times. Other than having to go through some rough neighborhoods in parts it was easier than I thought it would be. I then began thinking about running the full marathon.

Once I found out I could use my prize to enter the full marathon instead I asked my friends and family if I should run the full or half. Either being supportive or seeing if I would actually do it they all encouraged me to go for the full marathon. In the end I chose the full marathon and the rest is history.

A lot of people train specifically for marathons and make them their ultimate fitness goal so once they cross the finish line there is a burst of emotion. My wife read about a lot of runners experiencing a bit of depression after completing a marathon. Those feelings are understandable given the significant work they did to get there and the realization they just accomplished something extraordinary.

Not me though. I looked at it as not the end of the fitness journey I began 3 years ago but instead the elevation of it to a new level. Besides, since the last 6 miles set me way back on time I have plenty of room to improve. I will see everybody at next year’s KC Marathon.

I figured the best way to see the base would be to jog around it. I began my run on a highway that leads around the perimeter of the base. Most bases I had been to growing up as an Air Force “brat” and later as an enlisted member were completely fenced off so I knew I couldn’t get on base anyway. Being very familiar with security procedures (at least pre 9/11 ones) I figured this would keep me at a safe distance and avoid seeing anything that might be classified. I also like to take pictures from my runs and afterwards share them online. I figured from my vantage point any pictures from my Blackberry would not capture any sensitive information. Surely I wouldn’t cause any trouble, right?

Wrong. I had taken a couple scenic pictures (nothing close up) mainly overlooking the “residential” part of the base (shopping area combined with base housing which was MUCH nicer than the bases I lived on) and of the extravagant front gate during my run. I was careful to make sure I didn’t catch any military equipment or personnel in my pictures. I intended to later upload the pictures when I finished my jog. Little did I know that at the same time I was being reported as a security threat.

I found out soon enough though. I was nearing the end of my run when a military police vehicle performed a quick U-turn on the highway and stopped right in front of me. A couple of military policeman stepped out of the car…one was smiling but the other wasn’t. A minute later a pitch black Dodge Charger pulled up behind them (turned out it was the County Sheriff). The sheriff wasn’t smiling either. I initially thought those gentlemen were mad at me for being able to run farther than they can.

That’s when they began questioning me about why I was running around the base and if I took any pictures. Further into the interrogation, er conversation, I learned that taking pictures ANYWHERE near a military base is now taboo – even if you are on a highly traveled highway. I immediately complied with their request to delete the pictures I had taken and actually had a nice conversation with them. One of them had just previously been stationed at a base I was at when I left the service. Even while almost being arrested for nothing more than being nostalgic I still had a good time. Those airman did their job well.

However, the incident brings up some questions. While I could certainly understand if I was taking close up shots of hangars or of planes why get so uptight about a picture of the front gate? And if you are trying to hide its location why make it so extravagant? My guess is that they don’t want taxpayers guessing how much of their money was spent on it.

Also, why pick on me with my Blackberry cell phone when you can already get a far more detailed view of the base from Google Maps – that is how I found the base in the first place. In just a few seconds of reviewing the satellite images I had way more information about the place than I could have gathered on my run.

In the end though I am not angry about the incident. Whatever it takes to keep our soldiers safe here and abroad is fine with me. I’m sure several will think I should’ve known better but I never thought I would appear to be the least bit threatening…especially while jogging. The incident sure does make for a funny story though:)