“I want to run a marathon.”

I could hardly even believe myself when the words came out of my mouth. I had just given birth a few months earlier, and I was weighing in at my highest weight ever. I was a size 12/14, and I felt miserable. The most I ever ran was when the phone rang, and even then I was out of breath.

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized that I needed to take action. Some people would’ve laced up their shoes and bolted out of the door, but not me. I researched. I am an excellent researcher – as a matter of fact, I am a far better researcher than runner, so I dug right in.

Within a few days, I realized that I needed a plan. I studied all of them, looked for reviews online, and planned out when I could run my first race, a 5k. After a short amount of time, I decided on Cool Running’s Couch-to-5K Program. It looked doable enough. I only had to start running 60-seconds at a time, and within 9 weeks I’d be a bonafide runner. I would start the next day.

After day 1, I was sore, tired, and had barely made it through my intervals, but I survived, and for that I felt like I was on top of the world! The feeling of accomplishment was amazing! I wrote the following in my running journal:

“Today was my first day in my new training. It definitely got me sweating, and I’m so proud of myself for getting out and running. I already feel better. The headache that I woke up with is gone.”

I wondered how I could run 3.1 miles in just 9 weeks, but I trusted that I would get there if I tried. My mom decided to join me, and we set off on our latest adventure.

Throughout that 9 weeks, I developed some knee problems and my mother’s shin splints started acting up. We bought real running shoes, recommended to us by running store experts, not just kids who work at the mall. That solved our issues. With our injuries behind us, we were ready for our first race!

Just as promised, we ran the entire 5K on race day, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. By the end of the 9 weeks, I had lost a few sizes, had noticable definition in my legs, and had so much more energy. I felt fit for the first time since my skateboarding days in college

Now, almost 4 years later, I am a healthy size 0 (as you can probably assume, I have a very small frame, which is why a 12/14 was so unhealthy for me). I give running the full credit. Since I have started running, I have become a much healthier person in general. I eat much healthier. Our lives are more active in general. I vary my workouts so that I’;m not just running, but also skiing, bellydancing, practicing yoga, hiking, etc, etc.

There is no magic pill for weight loss or health, but I was able to change my life, one step at a time. Those first few months of running were challenging, but now its second-nature. Running is my release, my meditation/prayer time, my opportunity to relax… Its wonderful, and I invite you to try it.

I hope to run my first marathon next Summer/Fall. I have already started to amp up my training, and I promise to keep you updated!

I am so psyched! My little running group is filling up! There’s already 8 ladies from my church joining me. I was worried that I’d be out there running alone (which I actually do already, but I still had some kind of lame fear of rejection). So now I need to go get my packets ready for them and give them all of the info that they need to get started.

I’ve been working on one of Hal Higdon’s base building programs, and it has felt really great. Nothing beats crisp Colorado air when it comes to running The hills used to kick my butt, but now I’m finally able to chug through them.

This past weekend was the Pikes Peak ascent, and one day I’d love to do that, although I get lightheaded just thinking about it… It’d be cool though. Before that I hope to do the ADT marathon… that’s why I’m building my base.

Oh, plus I love being a size 0 =P LOL. That doesn’t hurt when it comes to keeping me motivated.