Welcome to Runs-2-Live! 

I am an Information Technologist who specializes in the integration of web technologies with corporate business systems to foster system interoperability and enable effective information sharing and collaboration across business entities.  I have been working in the IT field since 1980 and love all things 'tech'.

So what motivated me to start this journey (and blog about it)...

I started this journey towards a healthier, leaner person back in May 2010 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and weighed over 350 pounds.  The diagnosis was a shock to both me and my doctor, and after a detailed discussion about the effects of diabetes on the body over time, it was clear to me that I needed to make some serious life changes immediately.

So I joined Weight Watchers the very next week, and in January 2011, I reactivated my LifeTime Fitness membership and began to work out 3-5 times a week.  The photo at the top left is what I looked like in January 2012  (after losing 110 pounds).  The photo below to the right is where I was when I started.

I still have plenty of work ahead of me -- this journey is very much a work in progress -- but I have come this far and intend to continue.  I want to lose another 50 pounds to bring my total weight loss to at least 160 pounds.  Throughout this process, I set several milestones including running both a Half and Full Marathon, and fit into the suit I was married in more than 18 years ago.  As of December 2013, I have accomplished many of those goals.  I have run 18 Half Marathons and 7 Full Marathons.  And I have qualified to become a member of both the Half Fanatics (#1852) and Marathon Maniacs (#6743) running clubs.  I am still working to lose more fat and fit into that wedding suit.

Why the Blog?  Two reasons: 1) To document the journey make me 'own' the process and is a way to keep myself accountable to it, and 2) To share the experience so that others may be encouraged to take their own journey.  I figured if I can start this process at my level of obesity and at my age (51), then so can others.

What else about me?  Well, when I am not working, I am a Youth Minister with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and my local parish St. Mary Episcopal Church.  I love sharing my faith with young people of all ages, helping them to gain a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.  It has been a passion of mine for over 20 years.

I was born in Chicago, Illinois where I lived until moving to Los Angeles. I attended Loyola High School and then went on to study at Georgetown University, where I majored in Spanish and French but ended up spending most of my time in the Academic Computation Center working as a Computer Consultant for students taking computer courses. I decided that if I could qualify as a Freshman to help upperclassmen write their Fortran, PL/1, and SAS programs then I must have some real talent with computers. So far, that observation has served me well in my professional life.

Over the years, I have lived in several areas: California, Washington DC, Maryland, and Illinois. I have a diverse set of interests and hobbies which I occasionally get to pursue when I am not at the office, being a husband and father, surfing the Internet, or working on various web projects. I am very happily married and have three wonderful children. I love photography, music, choral singing, 'p-funk', and Mexican food. My favorite reading materials are science fiction, mysteries, techno-thrillers, and technical journals. I am an avid Star Trek fan as well as Star Wars, Stargate, Fringe, among others.  I also love graphic novels, playing online games, and reading.