As you read in the disclaimer, I’m not a professional runner nor a personal trainer.
I’m a Software Engineer and I’m working on my own to build custom software for companies.
My knowledge of sports was very limited (and still it is, but hopefully has improved a lot).
I’ve been training Martial Arts until 2013 (I started in 1991).
My carrier in Martial Arts developed at that point that I was actually teaching Martial Arts. Later on I have developed a particular fighting style (nicknamed alké) with a friend of mine.
Martial Arts training mantained me fit for the most part of my life, even if I’ve never focus on really undestranding how physical activity should be done.
But at a certain time, I have to stop this carrier.
I stopped because of an accident.
During a long stick sparring (I was mad enough not to wear any kind of protection), my student found a way into my guard and hitted me on the right eye.
I just said (as martial artists usally do): “I feel good, it is all ok!”. But after some weeks, my retina detached (later, it was discovered that the hit broked the retina in the middle, but it resisted till possible until the detachment).
After the surgery, I didn’t achieve the same vision as before, but at least my tridimensional perception was recovered. I was told to stop any kind of activity. “Don’t carry more than 10kgs for 6 months!” the surgeon said. And then, of course… Take it easy starting again!
This had a big impact on my fitness condition.
After I became father I’ve already started to add some unnecessary fat to my body (expecially to my belly, like men do), but this forced inactivity period led me to reach “Obesity Class I” level on the scale.
My life changed and I found that this condition is not easy to manage.
I had to do something to bring my fitness level back to acceptable.
At first I found out Freeletics (a high intensity bodyweight workout program, I’ll write an article about), then I started using Myfitnesspal (a nutrition Diary / calorie counter). Ok, but these are only tools! Installing them will not automatically led to weight loss and improve fitness level, but they are very helpful.
Following a strict diet (balanced macros, 1800 kcal intake daily) and a 3/4 days per week training schedule, I managed to loose my first 14kgs in 15 weeks. In one year of training and a change of my nutritional habits, (later on I’m going to write about it) I’ve managed to lose 20kgs (from 98kgs I reached 78kgs).
Here you can see pictures taken during this 1 year progression:
This life experience taught me a lot, especially relative to my body (I’ve learned to listen to it). I’ve read a lot of things regarding nutrition, training, fitness and then I baked “my personal vision” of all these things – that in some parts are quite diffrent from “best practices” that are approved and considered as “good”.
This blog is written just to share all this and – as I’m a kind of person that never stops learning and experimenting – I will also share new challenges, new findings, new “crazy ideas”.
Remember this: I’m just an ordinary person.
A family, a job, the life are challenging me in a lot of different ways giving me quite a large number of difficulties to manage, and therefore training is a very little part of it (that’s why I usally wake up on 4 AM in the morning to train), but I try to maximize the overall efficiency and improvements.
Why running?
Running is a very recent discovery for me. I started running as part of the Freeletics program, but then I became passionate about it.
Feelings connected with this activity are gorgeous for me. Reaching furthest distance week by week, pushing to maximum speed in interval training, running on hills, jumping rocks, seeing great sunrises, sweating under rain and going against wind…
Reading this blog you will find out that it wasn’t an easy path, and probably it will never be. But, that’s exactly the way I like it. 