First time tears

It has been many years since my first race but I remember the struggle to train and get used to running. I remember the effort it took to get my skinny 12-year-old body across the finish line of my first 10K. That 10k seemed awfully long at 12. I didn’t cry but I remember the feelings. Running can evoke powerful emotions. Running takes effort, motivation and dedication. Often during a race it is only you, the open road, the clock and your thoughts.

This is a blog profile of a runner who works for a EC3D, a Canadian company that produces compression gear for athletes and runners. After some exposure to a running colleague and those around him who run, he caught the bug and soon found himself at the start of a 10K race.

Alain

Alain Ayoub is the vice president of sales and business development at QSD Inc. better known as the Canadian family-run compression wear company EC3D. Alain’s name came my way after a friend.

Alain keeps busy managing five sales representatives across Canada, a US sales manager and international distributors. He coordinating the busy family business. This leaves little time for being active.

He also talked about his 81-year-old mom who says also inspires him.

“I have a very inspiring family, starting with our mother, Paulette Dorion, this 81-year-old super mom. She still walks an average of three hours a day with her dog, including climbs up to her second-floor condo five or more times. I love her dearly and she is quite an inspiration to all of us.”

With help from a friend who is a doctor and specializes in weight-loss, the weight started to come off and Alain became even more motivated. He said he pushed harder and, since June, has ran over 200 km preparing for his race. He says his first 5K run he did at 340 pounds. It was extremely tough and he thought he felt like vomiting.

With advice, encouragement, a new GPS watch and help from friends, Alain’s weight and blood pressure came down and his cholesterol levels improved.

At the Montreal Marathon weekend, Alain ran his longest race ever. Battling though 10K, he finished with his fiancé, Marie-France Robineault, who had already finished and come back to run with him. Alain said she gave him encouragement and incredible support and he said he had tears of joy in his eyes as he ran that last kilometre.

“Running is my new passion. I would have never believed I could run, let alone 10K weighing 394 pounds, so I set out to become a runner.”

I got in touch to ask a few questions.

Why did you start running?

“I started running because of my poor health and extreme weight. I had to lose weight. I was never an average weight guy; always heavy but this never stopped me. My fiancé, Marie-France Robinealt, started running with me in support of my upcoming 10K race. Day in, day out she is there for me. She’s quite a wonderful gal and I’m lucky to have her in my life.”

What advice would you give someone else overweight who wanted to run?

“I started running in June 2014 knowing I had to push myself if I was going to achieve my 10K goal. My first step was a balanced nutrition plan.

“Just go outside, walk or run seize the moment and take control of your life. I’ve lost about 77 pounds since I started this journey and running is the next step to a better life for me.”

Running is a journey with highs and lows and filled with emotion and feeling. There is frustration, enthusiasm, soreness, fear and joy. Not everyone can run, but those who can challenge themselves can find new things out about themselves and what they can do. Welcome to the Canadian running community Alain and run on.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.

Do you have a running story to tell?

runningwriter@hotmail.com

You can also catch me on Twitter @NoelPaine and on my personal blog.