Traveling back............ To the beginning..................

Since I have been sharing stories regarding my distance runs, I thought it would be fun to take a look back and let you know where I started at, just in case any of you are thinking you could "never run that long/far."

In November of 2004, I topped the scales at two hundred and twenty pounds. On my five foot three inch frame, I can tell you that it was not a pretty picture. I finally felt that I had my business running smoothly enough that I could focus on me for a change. If the truth be told (that whole stop lying to myself thing), what really happened is I ran out of excuses as to why I couldn't do something about how unhealthy I had become. Another piece of background information that may be helpful, is I tend to be an all or nothing, kind of person. I go full throttle, then nothing. The first step towards improved health was admitting that what I had done in the past had worked (for me). I spent some time really thinking about what I could do and stick with. The one thing that I totally didn't hate was getting on the treadmill. What I ended up commiting to was getting on it five days a week. THAT WAS IT...... JUST GETTING ON IT! It was hard to not set up some big program, but that was the old me. I figured at the point I was at (grossly obese) any little thing was better than continuing to do nothing.

Let me say that one more thing I did, was get a good pair of running shoes. I can not stress the importance of this enough. It is fine to work out in twenty-year-old clothes, but worn out shoes cause all kinds of problems. The store I go to, has sidewalk sales two times a year, and this is when I purchase my shoes. I needed new shoes at the end of (this past) December, but (of couse) waited the three weeks until the sale. (I work hard for my money, so I spend it carefully.) By the first week in January, I had constant pain in both of my hips. (Usually it is just the right hip that bothers me.) Within two weeks of getting my new shoes all, of my pain disappeared, a pretty easy fix. So, if you don't run/walk because it causes you pain, treat yourself to a good pair (that quality thing again)of shoes and see if that helps. YOU ARE WORTH IT! Enough about that.....Back to my journey........

Five days a week, I did get on the treadmill. Most days, I walked at between three and three and a half miles an hour for about thirty minutes, but sometimes I was only on it for about five minutes. Since I had kept my word and got on it, I didn't have to beat myself up if I didn't stay on it, and this helped me to keep going. Over the next couple of months, it S-L-O-W-L-Y got to the point that I could walk for thirty minutes without gasping for breath, and was feeling a little better about myself. I might not be doing much, but I was consistently (and this is the key I think) doing something.

Come the first of the year, (You know, that time of year when everyone makes all of those resolutions that they give up on by Valentines day.) I was getting bored with just walking for thirty minutes, so I started thinking how I could ramp things up a bit. (but not too much...... I was starting to like the feeling of not putting too much pressure on myself.) Anything I did, would need to be fit into my day, so I needed something flexible. I also didn't want to spend big bucks, because if I did, and then ended up not following through, I would HAVE to feel bad about that in addition to the failure of not getting in shape. (Boy! I am hard on myself!!!)

The treamill I had purchased (a few years earlier) had Ifit on it. What this is, is an online program that you access by plugging your computer into the treadmill. The computer then controls the treadmill and takes you through different runs ( various hills/distance/speeds), all you have to do is stay on (not as easy as it might sound some of the time). They have a large variety of programs for a variety of fitness levels, and by signing up for one year, it ended up being only ten dollars a month. Very affordable!

Of course, I started out with level one stuff, and found this challenging but do-able. What I liked right from the beginning, was I never did the same run two days in a row, so I didn't get bored. In addition to that, I didn't have to plan anything other than what I was already doing. I just had to get on the treadmill, the Ifit program did the rest for me. (I will admit to sometimes getting so caught up in planning/creating, that I don't acually get around to executing the activity before getting bored and moving on to planning my next project/goal. Going the pre-planned route kept me from doing this.)

I will always remember the Saturday that I was feeling especially spunky, and decided to challenge myself to a level two work-out. There was one little part that I was suppose to run at five miles an hour. The computer kicked up the treadmill at the appropriate time, and I nearly flew off the back end. At about this time my husband came down the stairs and was amazed that I "could go that fast." I had to point out that I was only still on the thing because I was hanging on to the side bars. Still! I had done it, however sloppy, and I found myself having thoughts about the possibility of trying a level two work-out the next Saturday.

Sorry to leave you in the middle of a story, but duty calls (well, acually is trying to get up to let the dogs out without supervision), so I will continue in tomorrows blog.

They say a good writer always leaves her readers wanting more...... We'll see how many of you come back for the conclusion of my little travelogue. See you tomorrow?????