Do Life

Went running in Central Park for the first time in my life yesterday, which gave me the opportunity to take this picture of myself looking half surprised/half crazed a lá R.P. McMurphy.

But let's back up a second.

I hate to start a blog with such long-winded exposition, but here goes: Several months ago a guy named Ben Davis posted a video on YouTube that chronicled his weight loss journey. The video went viral and garnered national attention, and Ben has used this attention to start a movement called "Do Life." Through his blog, his national media appearances, and his recent public speaking engagements, Ben has been inspiring countless others to get off the couch, lose weight, run, or whatever else it is they feel doing life entails.

From the Do Life Facebook page: "Do Life is a choice to take control of our lives. It is refusing to accept that life has to be ordinary or inconsequential. It is identifying the areas of our lives that need improvement. It is deciding to change..." The line about life not being inconsequential resonates with me, as it is an attitude I have had for years now. Needless to say, I was hooked on Ben and his Do Life movement.

Ben's blog: Ben Does Life

Ben's video: My 120 Pound Journey

When Ben announced he was coming to New York and was hosting an unofficial Do Life 5k, I decided to come up to the city for it. I learned Ben is just as cool as he appears to be in his blog: a modest, inspirational, funny, down-to-earth guy. I learned the ladies really like him. And I learned that the second most popular question in the crowd yesterday, behind "what's your name?" was "what's the name of your blog?" I was probably the only one there without one.

I've long toyed with the idea of starting a running blog, and yesterday was the motivation I needed. I vowed to amass a collection of witty and intelligent posts on my life in running, and next time the Do Life train swings through town, I'll be ready with business cards.

Until then, I'll just keep running...

Ben, his dad (Pa), and me