July 2, 2012 10:57 AM HKT

The end

I am in great shape, and that feels fantastic.

When I started the program I was, without doubt, in the worst physical shape of my life.  I would breathe heavily after walking up a few flights of stairs, I couldn't carry my kids very far, my running was terrible because my back would give out from all of the weight I was carrying up front....it was a mess.

And now, 4 and a bit months later I am in great shape.  I can run faster than I have been able to in years, I can carry my kids for hours (although as they get bigger that gets harder), I have more energy for life.

But I still have a long way to go.  Wellness begins here sounded like a somewhat corny url for a website but I now get it wholeheartedly. 

Because I developed tendonitis in my right shoulder during the program I took three weeks off of the mat work, which - along with a cortisone shot - healed the issue about 85%.  As a result I went back about 30 days and re-started the mat work at day 70 so that I could hammer the last 25 days of the program where the workload increased significantly.  I am glad I did, I am now on day 98 and have exercised something like 30 of the last 32 days.  I continue to eat well as if I were on the program (although beer is back in my diet, but less of it) and am putting on muscle quite consistently - and I will get under 200 lbs. by the end of the summer damnit.  So I am not done, I am still on the first phase of the journey.

From a net results perspective I lost 25 lbs and 3 inches from my waist size.  My body fat percentage went down somewhat significantly but I still need to get it down a lot more.  I am still on the high end of overweight and that needs to change.  I feel like I have the tools to do that now.

The program was great for me.  I will be back to do the PCP later in the year after I knock out some running fitness goals.  Thanks Patrick, thanks folks behind the scenes.