Marshall Ramsey

Goal weight: 195 lbs.

Today’s weight: 199 lbs.

I really don’t think there has been a better morning to run than this morning  — wow!  I was on the road by 4:45 a.m. right as the eastern sky started to show a hint of the impending dawn. The cool weather kept my heart rate down (at one point it was at 140 — which is ten beats per minute lower than normal).  I felt great!

I could have run forever this morning.

But work beckoned.  So I ended my dream run at 5.25 miles. I had burned 824 calories and had run for 52 minutes.  Several hills had been conquered. And as the sun creeped over the horizon, I felt a sense of peace.

A sense of peace.

Any cancer survivor can tell you that there are scars on the outside — and on the inside. My outside scars (I have over 70 of them) have faded over time. But one inside scar is a very bad case of anxiety.  When your own skin tries to kill you, it shakes you.  I went from wanting to conquer the world to craving security.  And if you know anything about the newspaper business in the past few years, there isn’t much security.  My world has been rocked like a china shop on the San Andreas Fault.

I’ve read enough studies suggesting that exercise acts like a low-dose of an antidepressant.  (and has better side effects).  I can tell you from my own personal experience — it’s true.   I run to keep from going nuts.  I run to have the energy to plow through the rough days.

I run to feel comfortable in my own skin.

While my weight is down, my confidence is up. My hope is up. My chances of success are up.  I didn’t want to get up at 4:10 a.m. this morning.  I wanted to sleep. But I knew that me getting out and getting my heart rate up was good for my body and good for my mind.  No pill could give me that kind of relief.

That’s why I exercise.

Goal Weight: 195 lbs.

Ran a 5K this morning. Did 3.1 miles in 28 minutes in my neighborhood — hills and all.  A beautiful morning to run. Came home and did 25 pushups and 25 sit-ups. I’ll do 25 more of each tonight.

Last December, my wife ran into trainer Paul Lacoste at our church. Paul’s the former All-American football player who now helps legislators, teachers and average Mississippians change their lives through athletic training. Before I could say, “Heart Attack,” I was signed up for Fit4Change.  I had been tempted to go through Paul’s Boot Camps before.  I personally like Paul — and maybe that was what was holding me back. The thought of someone I like screaming at me at 5 a.m. wasn’t something I wrapped my mind around happily.  But this time, something had to change. I was 248 lbs, overweight, miserable and exhausted.

Starting in January, I started waking up at 3:30 a.m. and driving to Jackson State University where I did the program four mornings a week.  We had to be there by 5 a.m. (or we were told to go home) and I’d sleepily drive downtown, dodging deer.  And what were my first impressions?

I hated it with a passion.

Not because of Paul or the other coaches. And not because of my team members (who I love).  No, I was miserable because I was in horrific shape. I hurt. I was exhausted. And I was being pushed.  It sucked.

Two weeks into the program, Paul moved me up to the second-highest line. Once again, I thought I was going to die.  But a funny thing happen. My body started agreeing in his belief in me.  He challenged me to do things I didn’t think I could do. I met him halfway.  I began to work harder and harder. And as soon as I stopped fighting it mentally, I started making amazing progress.  The weight started peeling off: Ten pounds the first week. Seven the second.  I went from 248 lbs down to 205lbs.  I went from barely being able to run a mile to being able to run 10.

It was hard. It was stressful. I even got shin splints. But it reminded me that I can accomplish any goal I set my mind to (except flapping my arms and flying — I’m still working on that one.) .

Here’s Paul’s website.  He does classes periodically and I recommend them.  They’re not easy and if you’re looking for a trainer who coddles you, go elsewhere. Trust me.

It’s funny, the thing that I feared the most, how I’d react when he he yelled at me, never phased me. I don’t mind constructive criticism if I know the person has my best interest at heart. Paul did. And I’m now healthier because of it.