Thanks for all my family and friends' support. I am ready to test my limits! Here we come, Kashgar.

Background

Years of setting up a startup company post leaving an active Army life for 21 years has taken its toll. A sabbatical from physical exercise. Hectic traveling and an unhealthy life style has left me excessively overweight and in bad physical condition.

Challenges

I know this is going to be one of the toughest challenges that I have undertaken in my life and the task at hand is daunting to say the least. The reason for the palpable nervousness are as follows:

-Having gained 30 kgs in the past two years and being a mammoth 115 kgs.

- Being in the worst physical state I have ever been.

- Have week ligaments in the ankles due to sport related injuries in the hey days.

- A niggling knee injury from the bygone era which has this nasty habit of recurring when it is least wanted.

Strengths

Very few as of now, however enough to harden my resolve to face the uphill task at hand, they being:-

- Was in the Army for 21 years as also the Special Forces and the body has seen a lot of punishment albeit when it was much younger and fitter.

- Explicit faith that in case i reduce the weight, I can get the body to respond to training.

Well Begun is half Done

After a week of procrastinating finally got down on ground end of last week. Ran 6 kms the first day(could hardly call it a run since had a tough time overtaking the guys out for their morning stroll). Did 12kms yesterday and repeated the same today although was stiff like hell today and had to walk too. The body is aching all over however feeling great that have got my nose to the grindstone.

Plan

I know that I have very little time at hand and any injury or breakdown will set me back a luxury which in my physical state I can ill afford. Am going about it slowly and don't plan to introduce the pack for another two to three weeks. Broad plan being:-

-Alternate between 6kms and 12 mms this week and end the week with a 20km on Sunday.

- Carry on with the same the next week culminating it with a 30km run.

-- Plan to commence a 10 km walk mid this week in the evening in addition to the above.

- Add on core training at the gym this week. Still trying to figure out where to fit it in the routine.

- Take it from there thereafter since back to back runs doesn't really seem to be on the horizon in the immediate future.

Dilemma

Do not know whether to concentrate on weight loss for the next two months and get the body weight down drastically and then commence hard training or forget weight loss and hope like hell it happens simultaneously without really worrying about large scale calorie cuts. Have kind of taken a middle path and lets hope how it works in the coming week.

Miles to go Before I Sleep

I know that mine is a battle with myself and it would never be easy. Time at hand is less and I cannot get disheartened by blogs of seriously fit people training and the levels achieved by them. I need to pace myself very very carefully and get into some kind of shape before taking it to the next level. Am charged up and committed to make this happen and lets see how the coming weeks go. Would be happy to hear any comments/suggestions.