Running!

October 6, 2013
Day 527
Wt.  188
Total Weight Loss  44
Countdown to Goal: 53  Days 
LBS to Goal: 38

To bring you up to date: I have been staying on track since my last post a couple of months ago. Our school nurse started a Biggest Loser-type contest for our staff the last week of August to help us develop healthy habits. Everyone that wanted to participate put in $20 and the person who loses the highest percent of body weight will receive the pool of money - $520!! The final weigh in is just before we go out for Christmas break. We are all drooling over the thoughts of winning the money for Christmas shopping! This has been a great incentive for me! The weight loss is still slow but I have been taking advantage of the healthy environment that I work in. The lunchroom has been making GORGEOUS salads for us and there were two groups doing exercise videos - Hip Hop Abs and Sweatin' to the Oldies-my group, of course! We are all on our own journeys! The exercise videos have stopped with the weather being so beautiful and some of us have moved our exercise outside to the track! Read on...
My inspiration: My oldest daughter, Jennifer, has been running for quite some time and is now training for a marathon. She absolutely loves it! She is up to 20 miles now - yes, TWENTY MILES OF RUNNING, NON-STOP. My daughter, Denise, has started running, too, and she loves it and it helps her deal with stress. Anyone who knows me knows that I love my girls and I love doing things with them. I really wanted to run more than the tiny bit that I had been trying to do when walking.
This is where the FUN begins: I decided to TRY to do the Couch to 5K program after two failed attempt within the last year and a half. Each time, I stopped at Week 3 because that is when the puking started for me! Jennifer told me that so what if I puke, just keep going! So, I got my nerve up and began the Couch to 5K AGAIN. This time I was determined to push through Week 3. Week 1 and 2 went well and so did Week 3, 4 and 5! Yesterday was my last Week 5 workout and I ran (slowly) for 20 minutes straight through! Yes, I did! I did not make it this far alone, though. The girls have been running with me on Sundays and friends from school run with me at the track through the week. It is so encouraging when other people care enough about you to run with you! 
RACE!!!! I ran in the Scrub Run last Saturday in Griffin with Jennifer, Tammie and Stacy. When the race started, I fell to the back, just like always. I kept pressing on though. I just tried to run until I couldn't and then I would walk for a minute and run some more. After about a mile, I got my second wind and started passing a few people - walkers and people with strollers. I continued on and I passed some more people. I was getting very excited because I am usually trying my best not to be the last person to finish the race!  I actually ran at least 75% of the race.  I had no idea that I was going to be able to do that! That's how I did this race and I actually won 3rd place in my age group! I was beyond PUMPED UP!!! Jennifer won 1st place in her age and missed winning fastest female by seconds! I am so hooked on running now! I have a long way to go but look how far I've come, baby!!! 
Here's some pics of the Scrub Run: