If the Mayor can do it...

I rode my bike to work again yesterday, and the results were encouraging -- I shaved 5 minutes off my time, traversing the 6.8 miles in about 32 minutes! For comparison, it takes between 20-25 minutes to drive to work in the morning, depending on traffic. So I'd say I make pretty good time on the way there. (The way back is a different story. That 300 foot ascent in 2 miles is killer -- little wonder it takes me 20 minutes longer to ride home.) As usual, full stats available here.

But this is not why I write. I write because today there is an interesting article in the Washington Post about Mayor Adrian Fenty, who, despite being mayor of our nation's capital, still finds the time to run three times a week and bike and swim twice a week for two hours at a time. Those around him say his dedication to fitness mirrors his dedication to hard work in office. I greatly admire anyone who can fit in regular strenuous exercise into an already busy schedule, and I hope to be able to emulate Mister Mayor even after my new law firm job begins next week (sapping away any extra time I currently have).

But what really intrigued me in the article was this gem:

At 6 feet and 180 pounds, Fenty appears the picture of fit, but he hasn't always been that way. In 2000 -- the year his twin sons were born, he wrapped up a long campaign for a D.C. Council seat, and he and his wife renovated their kitchen -- Fenty did not run a single time. He also reached about 215 pounds.

Six feet tall, 215 pounds, let work and life get in the way of his fitness... hmmm... remind you of anyone? The inspiring part is that he was able to drop the weight, keep it off, and now he runs amazing times (65 minute 10-miler; 3:40 marathon) and can bike 33 miles in 90 minutes. Oh, and has managed to become mayor in the process.

Fenty's fitness success story just goes to show that even if you have some rough spots, if you keep persevering, you will succeed in the end. A great story -- one I hope to emulate!