This is part 6 in a mini-series by Steve Shipowitz (@stevenship) on his endeavor to lose weight, which led him to discovering ‘Born to Run‘ and Vibram FiveFingers.  You can read part 1 of the series here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, and part 5 here.

Run Steve Run….

Well, I am going to do my best to wrap this series up. In brief:

• I won the weight loss contest at my office after losing more than 35 pounds
• I finished my first 5K with a time I never would have guessed and I have set a new goal for myself
• My goal this year is to run in a race every month, get down to 155 pounds and then keep it off

I choose my races by schedule and charity. My second race was in January and the charity was the American Red Cross. I was fortunate enough to run that race with my 15-year-old daughter. I finished in 26:45 and missed third place by 40 seconds. She finished in 29:15 and won her age group. In February I ran a four mile race which benefited Rhodes College Track team (I am friends with their coach). I was able to do the 4 miles in 36:00, not too bad. March brought the Mayor’s Cup in Germantown, TN. This race also had a half-marathon. When I signed up for this race in January, I wasn’t running very long distances. But by March I was able to run 10 miles at a clip. Although several people wanted me to run in the half, I decided to stay in the 5K. I decided I would run this one as fast as I could. I did just that, but it still wasn’t a personal best. I finished with a time of 26:49, but oddly enough, it was fast enough for me to place third in my age group.

In April I ran in the Youth Villages 5K with a time of 25:25, a personal best. The great thing about running is that just about everyone can do it, so its a great opportunity to spend time with the kids.  My son has joined me on the past two races, which just thrills me. If you remember my post about my first race, you may remember how nervous I was, but now, I cannot wait for the races! No longer am I nervous, but full of excited anticipation.

If you want to help me in my running endeavors, you can sponsor me for my June race. I will be running the Navy Nautical 10 Miler that supports The Fisher House Foundation.You can click here for my fundraising page. The Fisher House can be best described as a Ronald McDonald House for military families. I grew up in Norfolk, VA, home to world’s largest Navy base, so this charity is near and dear to my heart. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.

I will also be running in the inaugural Norfolk Freedom Half Marathon on Veteran’s Day. That will be more than likely followed up by the St. Jude Marathon. I still haven’t completely wrapped my head around running 26.2 miles, but I’ll get there. I will be training with a Jeff Galloway training group for this event. @JeffGalloway teaches a run walk method to marathon running and I think this will get me through it. One other race I cannot wait for will happen July 4^th, The AJC Peachtree Road Race. I lived in Atlanta for almost 15 years and never dreamed of running this race. It is a 10K and it was my original first goal for this year, but goals change. I will be running this one with my son and I have told him that I will run at his pace. This one is all about the accomplishment! One other race of interest will be the Naked Foot 5K in Nashville, TN; I am going to do my best to be there.  If you are going to be in any of these races, let me know! I’d love to meet you.

I have enjoyed my time here writing for you and I hope you have enjoyed it as well.  I want to thank the fine folks at myfivefingers.com for allowing me to do this. If you want to hear more about my VFFs and running, you can always follow me on Twitter, @stevenshipo, or let the guys here know, and I would be thrilled to keep on blogging.

Have fun with your VFFs, you are in a select fraternity. So far, I have run almost 300 miles in Bikilas, I have run in a race every month and I weigh 156 pounds. I have lost more than 50 pounds and the VFFs have been a huge part of my success.  I now wear mediums and have a 30-inch waist, down from extra larges and a 36-inch waist. Remember, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

[Editors note:  Please let Steve know what you thought of his journey, as documented on this site.  If you have any questions about his diet, running styles, or anything else, please include it in the comments below! Thanks again, Steve!]