There are weeks when the miles matter.

There are weeks when the scale matters.

And then there are weeks where simply refusing to quit is the biggest victory of all.

This week was one of those weeks.

The Reality Behind the Progress

My current weight is 295 pounds.

When I started documenting this journey back in June, I weighed 310 pounds. Seeing 295 isn’t the finish line, but it reminds me that consistency adds up, even when life feels like it’s pulling you in every direction.

Running continued this week, although not as much as I had planned.

This week’s numbers:

• Weight: 295 lbs
• Runs: 3
• Total distance: 9 miles
• Longest run: 4.2 miles in 1:16:40
• Average pace: 19:05 per mile
• Average heart rate: 139 bpm
• Total steps: 53,030
• Total walking/running distance: 24 miles
• Average daily steps: 8,698
• Strength training: Upper body session
• Average sleep: 5 hours, 32 minutes

One run stands out more than the others.

The temperature was in the 90s with a heat index around 110 degrees. Every logical excuse said to skip it.

I ran anyway.

Not because it was enjoyable.

Because becoming the person I want to be means learning to keep promises to myself, even when the conditions aren’t ideal.

A Wake-Up Call

This week also brought something I had been dreading.

I had an EGD, and if I’m being honest, I was scared.

I’ve never been put under anesthesia as an adult, and sitting there waiting forced me to think about how years of drinking and eating poorly have caught up with me.

Thankfully, the news was better than I feared.

There was no cancer and nothing immediately serious. The doctor found inflammation and red spots in the lining of my stomach, and I’ll learn more at my follow-up appointment.

A previous ultrasound also revealed that I have fatty liver disease. My liver is enlarged, and it’s another reminder that my health isn’t something I can continue putting off.

Exercise, better nutrition, and Omega-3 supplements are part of the treatment now.

There isn’t a shortcut out of this.

Only better decisions made consistently.

Running Gave Me Another Option

I’ll admit something that’s uncomfortable to say out loud.

With everything happening in my personal life, my health, and the uncertainty at work, I’ve wanted to drink.

The old version of me would have.

That was how I handled pain.

I would numb it.

I would run away from it.

This time has been different.

I don’t know if it’s because I found running.

Maybe it’s because I’m 33 years old.

Maybe it’s because I have children who are watching me more closely than I realize.

Maybe it’s all of those things together.

Whatever the reason, when life has pushed me toward self-destruction, I’ve chosen to lace up my shoes instead.

Running hasn’t solved my problems.

It has simply given me a healthier direction to carry them.

And for right now, that’s enough.

My greatest accomplishment this week wasn’t another mile.

It wasn’t a faster pace.

It wasn’t a lower number on the scale.

It was staying sober.

Learning to Take Care of Myself

One lesson surprised me this week.

I realized I need time for myself.

For years, I’ve tried to be present for everyone else.

My wife.

My kids.

My job.

The people who depend on me.

Recently, I decided not to attend one of my kids’ basketball weekends.

That wasn’t because I don’t love them or don’t care.

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve spent years coaching, supporting, and investing in them. Basketball has been a huge part of my life since I was young, and I still believe in what they’re capable of becoming.

But I also realized something.

You can’t keep pouring from an empty cup.

For thirteen years, I’ve made sure everyone else’s needs came first.

This Sunday, I stayed home.

I sat in the quiet.

I listened to music.

I wrote.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was taking care of myself instead of simply surviving another week.

That doesn’t make me a bad father.

It makes me a healthier one.

Looking Ahead

There are still storms I’m walking through.

Some are health-related.

Some are personal.

Some are happening at work as our organization continues to change.

I’m not ready to share every detail yet.

Maybe someday I will.

For now, I’m choosing to keep moving.

The goal for the next seven days isn’t perfection.

It’s simply to be better than I was this week.

One better decision.

One more run.

One more healthy meal.

One more night without alcohol.

I’m learning that resilience isn’t surviving until the storm passes.

Sometimes resilience is learning how to live while the storm is still here.

Slow. Steady. Deliberate.

Forward under load.