in complete disbelief. hard work pays off, even for those [like myself] who don’t believe that all the time.

for those that don’t know, i am training for a 15k on October 9th. it’s been a very rewarding experience, even though i don’t recognize that most of the time. 

i take advantage of the running. what i mean by that is i don’t see the running, for what it really is to me. the running has enabled me to relieve stress, enjoy the actual activity [i hated running, and still do at times], it give me my “me time” [we all need our alone time in a day], allows me to reflect on many things going on in my life, and is possibly the most effective thing it is doing [right now] is it has allowed me to develop a healthier lifestyle. 

over the past year i tended to gain weight, over time.  i started to run back in January of 2011. it definitely was not consistent and the most i could do was probably 2-3 miles. 

[playing sports was prevalent in my high school days, as i was a varsity field hockey player all four years, and i’ve played soccer since 5th grade. so running is not too foreign to me] 

i ran my first “real” race in April of 2011. it was 5k and i struggled through it. i did not train well, and i was not motivated. 

But things have changed. 

i went to the doctor for a spider bite back in july, and like any normal doctor, they weigh you in and then you get put into a waiting room for the doctors. that day was a rude-awakening. i did not realize how much i had weighed. [weight has been somewhat of an issue for me, semi-fluxuating throughout the years] that day shaped me. it made me say to myself i should not weigh this much, i need to make healthier decisions, and i need to make exercising more of an effort. 

and that was when i started running on a regular basis. it took a while, but i actually started to enjoy it. and i missed it [me? missing running?!] when i went a few days without going for a run. i started out slow, doing the 2-3 miles at a time. i then pushed myself to keep going further, 3 miles soon became 4-5 miles. and about a week ago i completed 7 miles.[if you asked me, last year, if i would be running 7 miles in one year from today? i’d look at you like are you crazy?!] but i enjoyed it. i did. it was such a great accomplishment.

since that day, i have lost 12 pounds as of 9/22/11. i feel great and when i saw that, i had tears of joy streaming down my face. i never thought i could lose that weight. i thought it would be more around 5 pounds. this is a big thing, for me. and now i feel even more motivated to keep going, to become even more healthier and more in shape. 

in about 2 weeks i will be running 9.32 miles. with the right mind-set and some more training i will cross that finish line. i will not be doing this race for time, but for sheer accomplishment. and i thank my entire family for this motivation to keep going. and God for the strength, the ability to actually run, the push on those hills, and You telling me to “keep on going, you’re almost done” on those days i don’t “feel it”. and i especially thank my twin sister [the runner of the family] she unknowingly motivates me everyday. and i love her for that. she’ll be cheering me along, on the sidelines on October 9th.