Madzdad
New member
Ten years ago I weighed in at 470. I had a gastric bypass done in Sept 1996 and rapidly lost weight. Unfortunately, a few months later I developed beriberi, which is a degeneration of the mylen (covering) of the peripheral nerves in my legs. This left me unable to walk. The doctors said it would be about 18 months to 2 years before I could walk again. I spent 36 days in the hospital on the rehab floor. Thanks to the meanist little physical therapist that ever lived and my determination, I was out of the wheelchair in 5 months and done with the walker in 3 more. It still took a number of years before I had complete feeling in my feet, but I could walk and was dropping weight like mad.
I had become a walking fool, I lived in Monument, Colorado at the time, at a high point between Colorado Springs and Denver, at an altitude of about 7300'. The county had turned the turn-of-the-century railroad bed into a really nice trail system from Monument south through the Air Force Academy to Colorado Springs (as of now it connects to trails turn run all the way through CoSpgs). I walked those trails every day for months. I got quite good at it and could easily keep a 15:30/mile pace. I could always see Pikes Peak to the south and wanted to climb up Barr Trail to the top. Barr Trail is a 13.5 mile trail with a veritical rise of 8000'. Not a technically difficult trail, but rated as such due to the length.
By the beginning of 1998, I trained like mad for it, taking 5,6 & 8 mile walks and hikes to get ready, by that summer I was 235 pounts (half the man I used to be). My daughter was born that May, everything was going my way. I had planned on doing the climb in early September. As the day approached I was getting nervous about it. My last training walk was a 10 mile hike though the AFA. At that point I got the realization or at least the belief that I was not ready for the climb. This devastated me, and I pretty much quit walking, bad habits sliding back into view. I had to start traveling the next year and for the next three years. My habits got worse and I put weight back on. I was able to come home for good in Sept 2002, but kept putting on weight till I discovered at the beginning of this year that I was 385.
Well this year, I gave up chips and candy for Lent and will probably make that permanent. I work out almost daily (getting there) and have so far shed about 20 pounds, built a large amount of muscle and feel better every day. I started thinking about the quest for Pikes Peak again. Last year, sheer determination and training got me through the first day of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, 26.2 miles. I blistered my feet so badly that I couldn't do the 1/2 marathon the next day, but I was proud of what I had done. Even though I lapsed again after that, I know I can train for such. I live northwest of Denver now and can still see Pikes Peak to the south, 14410' tall. Well, you know, it is time, I may still be 368 now, but I bet I can be about 310 by September and am going to do it, like the old pioneers and prospectors said when gold was found here - Pikes Peak or Bust!!!
I had become a walking fool, I lived in Monument, Colorado at the time, at a high point between Colorado Springs and Denver, at an altitude of about 7300'. The county had turned the turn-of-the-century railroad bed into a really nice trail system from Monument south through the Air Force Academy to Colorado Springs (as of now it connects to trails turn run all the way through CoSpgs). I walked those trails every day for months. I got quite good at it and could easily keep a 15:30/mile pace. I could always see Pikes Peak to the south and wanted to climb up Barr Trail to the top. Barr Trail is a 13.5 mile trail with a veritical rise of 8000'. Not a technically difficult trail, but rated as such due to the length.
By the beginning of 1998, I trained like mad for it, taking 5,6 & 8 mile walks and hikes to get ready, by that summer I was 235 pounts (half the man I used to be). My daughter was born that May, everything was going my way. I had planned on doing the climb in early September. As the day approached I was getting nervous about it. My last training walk was a 10 mile hike though the AFA. At that point I got the realization or at least the belief that I was not ready for the climb. This devastated me, and I pretty much quit walking, bad habits sliding back into view. I had to start traveling the next year and for the next three years. My habits got worse and I put weight back on. I was able to come home for good in Sept 2002, but kept putting on weight till I discovered at the beginning of this year that I was 385.
Well this year, I gave up chips and candy for Lent and will probably make that permanent. I work out almost daily (getting there) and have so far shed about 20 pounds, built a large amount of muscle and feel better every day. I started thinking about the quest for Pikes Peak again. Last year, sheer determination and training got me through the first day of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, 26.2 miles. I blistered my feet so badly that I couldn't do the 1/2 marathon the next day, but I was proud of what I had done. Even though I lapsed again after that, I know I can train for such. I live northwest of Denver now and can still see Pikes Peak to the south, 14410' tall. Well, you know, it is time, I may still be 368 now, but I bet I can be about 310 by September and am going to do it, like the old pioneers and prospectors said when gold was found here - Pikes Peak or Bust!!!