My Story Part 2

Below is part 2 of my story...I am also including a picture of me taken one month before I began Weight Watchers.

I decided I wanted to run in a 5K race. My first 5K was August 29, 2009 at North Myrtle Beach. My time was 27:56 and I placed 3^rd in my age group. This was the first race for this organization so it was a small group of runners. I was so excited to have won something, even if it was only a medal. It somehow validated my hard work up to this point. My second 5K was in September 2009 at North Hills in Raleigh. This was my first experience running on hills and my time was 28:46. I did not place but was proud of myself because I did not stop running at any time during the race. By this point, I was seriously obsessed with running. I was reading everything I could get my hands on about running. I bought several books to try and learn all I could. I was running about 4-5 times a week, averaging 10-15 miles per week. I began to increase my mileage and run at least 5x a week, sometimes 6.  My close friends and colleagues thought I was crazy because all I talked about was running. To this day, it is hard for me to understand exactly why I love it so much. I grew up playing sports but never enjoyed the running aspect with those sports. To illustrate my need to run, I like to use a story from February 2010. Our treadmill was still broken and work was cancelled because of snow. I could not drive to the gym or go for a run outside, so I decided to run in place in the living room. I ran for a total of 30 minutes that day. My family and friends really thought I had lost it. I sometimes wonder if I have myself...  
Even though the thought scared me, I decided I wanted to run a half marathon. I once again started to increase my mileage to about 25-30 miles a week. I was ready for the race by March 2010 and commented to my husband at the finish that I felt like I could have kept running longer. Before the half, I would allow myself to dream about running a marathon one day but I never really thought I would. After finishing the half, I felt like I could do it. More about marathons later...
A highlight during the 2010 year was my 40^th birthday. I celebrated by running in the Women’s Distance Festival 5K the week after I turned 40. I am now considered a “masters” runner or just a nice way of saying I was getting old. Fortunately, I finished 1^st in my age group. It was at this race, I was introduced to “The Athletes Foot”. I was wearing my red T6 Racers and just happened by the TAF tent. I got to talking to the person there (wish I could remember his name) and he told me I would get a percentage off a pair of shoes if I came to the store and showed my racing bib. I visited the store and really liked all of the items they had to offer. Of course, I bought a pair of shoes. I am actually a frequent buyer of running shoes! I have been shopping at TAF(The Athlete's Foot) ever since and I recommend TAF to everyone who will listen. I thought I was a "real" runner but because of my insecurities with my weight and other things from my past, I was always second guessing myself. I toyed with the idea of hiring a running coach. I thought maybe this was a silly idea, I am 40 years old, what will people think, and what will any coach think of some old woman wanting help. But I came to the conclusion that plenty of people spend money on silly things and if this is one of those times, well, who really cares. Turns out, it wasn't so silly after all. I was very fortunate to hire Bobby Mack as my running coach after Thanksgiving. I cannot praise him enough for the help he has given me. But, I will speak more of him in another post. But, I do have to say this, he is running in the USA Track and Field Outdoor 10,000 meter Championship this Thursday, June 23 in Eugene, Oregon. Let's go BMack!!! I just call him Sir Speedy!
Well, I hope you have enjoyed Part 2. I don't want you to think, my life is easy since I have lost so much weight. I think I will always have an obsession with food. At any point, I could devour a bag of chips. It is a daily struggle that I sometimes win and sometimes lose. I can look in the mirror sometimes and still see that girl below. Right now though, I have the most wins...
 I still have lots to tell and will write again soon. Your comments are welcome and if you have any questions about running or Weight Watchers, please email me!

                                                    This is what 195 pounds looks like...