The Journey.....So Far.....

I never really thought of myself as a runner.  I ran a few times before in life when I wanted to lose weight, it always seemed to be the quickest way to get it off.  I was always pretty active though, soccer, softball, etc. But never a runner.

So when a friend of mine suggested I consider running a half marathon I instantly thought no, I don't think so.  I had knee problems since trying the quick-weight loss method of running in college, something about "over-use" syndrome, blah, blah, blah. All I knew is my knee hurt most of the time after that.  Knee pain and half marathons don't mix.

But my life changed in a big way in 2006/2007.  For most of my life I have battled weight problems.  I was never huge but overweight for a good part of life.  I decided to change all of that in August 2006 when I joined Weight Watchers.  I had just had my second child.  I pretty much let myself blow up between children.  I knew I was going to try WW after I had my second child so I just ate whatever I wanted for about 4 years, it was great!  Except I was a lazy, fat bum who didn't do anything.

I lost 52 lbs following the WW program.  I learned how to eat healthy forever, not just until I lost the weight.  I now prefer a grilled chicken breast with broccoli over a chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.  I NEVER thought in my life I would say that. I have never been prouder of myself in my entire life.  It takes a lot of work and determination to lose 52 lbs and even more to keep it off.  Once I did that I truly felt like I could do anything.  I gained so much confidence in myself, in all aspects of life.

But the biggest gain I got was a motivation to workout. Being 52lbs lighter suddenly cured most of the knew problems, amazing, right?  I started working out regularly 2 years ago and I love it.  It is a release for me.  I am a very busy person who juggles A LOT every day so I need to decompress to be able to maintain.  I found that in working out.  I like to strength train with weights and like to take classes like step aerobics and kickboxing.  I also love yoga and try to fit that in when I can.

But in February 2010 I decided I wanted to challenge myself even further.  Can I really do anything? A friend of mine had just trained for and ran the Houston Marathon for the first time and I thought, let's try it, but the half, not the full marathon, that is just crazy.  So I got the training group info and marked my calendar for July 2010, when we had to sign up.

I was ready and inspired to try this new sport.  To push myself past where I thought I could go.  To prove to myself once again that I could do anything I set my mind to.  Let's see what this running thing is all about.....