Just a little over two years ago my best friend and I took a trip to Disneyland, as we had done several times in the past year. We'd purchased annual passes and took full advantage, whisking ourselves away from our husbands and homes to have a little girl time. While we were in January of 2013, we saw signs pointing to health and fitness expo. At the time, I weighed something over 220 pounds and a very big part of me hated myself. That day, I learned about two companies which would change the course of my life as I knew it - Sparkle Skirts and runDisney. I bought one of the Sparkle Skirts (a running skirt that is beyond amazing) and a pair of Disney running shoes out of more of a love for Disney than any actual desire to run. But later that night I spoke to a woman who had completed the Tinker Bell half marathon earlier that day and I'll never forget what she told me. "Anyone can do it. Trust me, if I can, anyone can."
A month later, I completed my first 5K. I walked about 98% of it and was in horrible pain, but 57 minutes after I started, I crossed my first finish line. And I haven't looked back since. One year after that first encounter with another runner, I completed my first half marathon at the same race that inspired me to get started. One year after that, I ran my eighth half marathon and cut 27 minutes off of my half marathon time. I also ended up losing ove 40 pounds.
However, I've stalled recently. I haven't really lost any weight in the last year. In fact, I put about ten pounds back on. M goal is to get back into a healthy weight range and also become a faster, stronger runner.
I have a long way to go, but I know it's important to recognize how far I've come. I'm ready to reset and get myself back on track. So here's to starting over - and never forgetting what I'm leaving behind.