Jason from Geeks in Running Shoes — one of our Beer Runners to watch in 2011 – takes the helm of this blog to talk about beer, running (you guessed it), his podcast and more.

Beer and running geek

In May of 2010, Jason started a blog to document his weight loss journey. “I’m a normal guy by American standards,” he wrote. “That means, I’m overweight.”

He started running and quickly made some major progress, cutting down from 252 pounds in February to under 200 in June. In September, he finished his first ever half marathon in Chicago.

I’m pretty stoked to record my first ever podcast with Jason this weekend, and you can hear it Monday, March 7 at Geeksinrunningshoes.com. There may be drinking involved.

If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover in the podcast, just let us know in the comments or send us a message on Twitter or Facebook.

Now without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, here’s Jason.

I like beer. I drink it often. Well, not too often, but often enough.

I don’t drink toget drunk anymore. I drink beer to enjoy it. The aroma, the crisp, the smooth, the tones after the first gulp… heaven.

I also like to run. Well, not the speed work, fartlek’s,tempo runs, hill repeats etc. I like to just run. Lace up the shoes, power up the Garmin, and hit play on my iPod Shuffle.

Off I go, my cadence mimicking my rising heart rate. My brightly colored orange shoes bouncing solar fingerprints back at the onlookers of my solo event. Slap, slap, slap.

Both of these passions of mine, beer and running, are acquired tastes. Neither one did I fully appreciate until a year ago. I hit my breaking point in my losing battle against obesity at 252 pounds.

I was sporting a Windsor knotted red silk tie and a large, protruding belly as I accompanied my oldest daughter to her Valentine’sDay Daddy-Daughter Dance. Part of the ritual included a photo of us together.

Winded from “dancing,” I grabbed the image and headed home. I looked at my beautiful daughter. Sweet, innocent, full of life. Behind her was a large exercise ball wrapped in a white button-up shirt accented by the ever-widening red tie.

The photograph was taken within the first ten minutes of us getting there. I know that because I still had my top button engaged. The death grip of that button fought a courageous battle, but had to be let loose after the constriction became overwhelming.

It was here that I knew I had to make a lifestyle change. Not a diet, but a true shift in the way I live.

Within 4 weeks, I was spending 1-2 hours 5-6 times a week in the gym. Within a couple months, I was 25 pounds down.

It was around this time that my brother-in-law Raymond contacted me. That was weird, because we didn’t talk that often. Raymond had heard about my new lust for life, and he wanted to raise the stakes. “Do you want to run a half marathon up in Chicago on September 12?”

My stomach knotted up. I felt myself preparing the “No” that would inevitably follow this question. I paused. “Let me call you back.” I thought about it. I have 5 months to get ready. F it. “Let’s do this!”

The training was hard, full of injuries, mistakes, learning experiences, heartbreak,overwhelming joy, blood, sweat, and a tear or two. Raymond and I would call eachother once a week to talk about training. I’m not sure which one of us brought it up first, but our conversations had to be shared.

So we recorded our weekly check-ins and released them to themasses. But we needed a name. Geeks. We are Geeks. We wear running shoes.We are… Geeks in Running Shoes. A podcast was born.

Like our running, the show went through some rough patches. Audio problems, recording problems, too much cussing (probably my fault). But we were passionate about it.

The show has come a long way. We found our stride, so to speak. We were even noticed by the Beer Runner after doing a live show after a 9 mile run where we drank a few beers. Well, several. I do like beer.

Episode 32 will be recorded this Sunday. We’d like to bring in an expert to talk about beer and running. What tastes better after along run: IPA or Pale Ale? What’s up with Hash Clubs? Is it possible to live through a sub 6:30 beer mile? Who could answer such questions?

Some call him the Beer Runner. Some call him Tim. The Geeks in Running Shoes call him our guest for Episode 32.

Check out the show on or after Monday, March 7 at Geeksinrunningshoes.com.