Do You Want to Start Running?

It all started with an ad in the Chicago Reader that said, Do you want to start running? It was in the spring of 2009 and John Silva, now 46, and his wife were expecting their first child. Silva examined the ad closer. It was from Fleet Feet Sports Chicago, and it described a group training program called No Boundaries. We Train You, it said. Silva was sedentary and severely overweight, and he knew that with a child on the way, something had to change. Perhaps this was the very motivation he needed.

So, he signed up, and got a water bottle, a t-shirt, and a jacket. The trouble was, he was so big that even the largest shirt and jacket wouldn’t fit him. He accepted the water bottle and started moving ... one arduous step after another.

“One of the first things that I remember about John, is how determined he was,” says No Boundaries coach, Lauren Matricardi. “He came to the workouts with an intention. He was set on changing his life.”

Lasting choices

Silva is no stranger to discipline. He spent four years in the Marines after high school. When he got out, he stopped moving, at all, something he still can't quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was burnout, misdirected motivation, or simply rebellion against something that was pushed on him every day. So, when he decided to become a father, the decision to run was all his.

“Since starting No Boundaries, I've lost about 150 pounds,” he says. It's not quite where he wants to be yet, but Silva admits he’s not all that focussed on the outcome anyway. His doctor told him this wasn’t going to be an overnight crash diet, that if he wanted to lose weight and keep it off, he was going to have to commit to a lifestyle change. That’s exactly what he’s doing.

“I just feel better about myself,” he says. “I feel more confident. I don’t have the social embarrassments that I used to have to deal with.” As a reminder and, perhaps as motivation when things get tough, Silva keeps a list of all the "embarrassing" things that running has helped him leave behind. Like the first time he had to ask for an extender for an airplane seat belt, or when he was too large to wrap a towel around his waist.

Maybe these seem like inconsequential tidbits, but Silva stresses that for him, more than the before and after, these small in-between moments are perhaps the most important parts of his journey. “It’s not about finding perfection,” he says. “As long as I’m improving, I’m making progress. It’s all about recognizing the little milestones along the way.”

Several years after going through the No Boundaries program at Fleet Feet, Silva and his family were on vacation in Florida. His son, Alex, wanted to do an obstacle course. He was young, though, and needed a parent to run it with him. Silva noticed a weight limit. “If it had been a few years earlier, I would have had to tell my son I’m too big," he says. "It was an amazing feeling that I didn’t have to do that. It was a small moment, but it meant everything.”

A role model

Becoming a father was a major life transition, one that Silva did not take lightly. “I started all of this so that I could be an example for my son,” he says. “I couldn’t tell him to be healthy and happy while I was a couch potato. I also hoped that someday he would want to do it all, too.”

Sure enough, seven and a half years later, he is. Alex ran his first 5K with Fleet Feet last fall and, most recently (just last weekend in fact), completed a children’s triathlon.

Matricardi has been watching Alex progress since Silva pushed him in a stroller. “John instills work ethic, drive, and passion outside of academics,” she says. “His encouragement to get Alex out and participate to have fun and be healthy, without the pressure of competition, is truly a breath of fresh air.”

It's that same approach that Silva now shares as a mentor in the No Boundaries program.

“It’s important for people to realize they can do it,” says Silva. “You don’t have to be a Runner’s World cover model to be a runner. You don’t have to be long and lean or have a perfect running stride. I think that’s hard for a lot of people. But the reality is that anyone can get out there and do it. You just have to decide.”

Well said. Want more get-out-the-door advice from John Silva? No problem, we got you covered! Click here to read his top 4 tips to getting started with a new running program.