1fatgirlthin

It has been a couple of months since I have written anything and no it is not because I have fallen off the wagon and gained weight. Luckily I have been able to stay within my three pound range even with vacations and parties and graduations etc. After I got down to my goal weight everyone kept asking me what next? Hmm I had to think about that for awhile and realized I did need a new goal so I decided to train for a half marathon. Yes I know. What was I thinking? I don’t think I was thinking. It just sounded like a good thing to do at the time. Also, running makes me happy and as I was walking around my house wondering what my next goal should be I saw a workout bag from “Lucy” and the saying on it was, “Get in the Shape of Happy”. It was kind of a no brainer after that. That holds true for all of you. You don’t have to run but get out there and do something that makes you happy, whether it is gardening, dance class, bowling, golf, biking whatever. It doesn’t matter what it is but that you do it and that it makes you happy because then you will keep doing it.

Well I digress. So the last couple of months I have been busy with life as well as training for this half marathon. The half marathon will take place on Sunday and I am ready. I hope. I am honestly a bit nervous but am ready to tackle this goal and get ready for the next one. If you had told me a year ago that this is where I would be I probably would have laughed and said not a chance. It’s funny with goals. When you set small ones pretty soon they become big ones and you can’t believe you got there.

Why did I decide to do this? Well, I had always dibbled and dabbled in running but it is hard when you weigh over 200 lbs. It has become way easier and a lot of fun. Following a training program has been the key because I have trained slowly over a period of 12 weeks so it has not been as painful as it could have been. I have followed the Hal Higdon 12 week plan for novices. You can get it on the internet and a lot of people have used his programs. He has them for all sorts of races from 5ks to marathons and even tailors them to different levels of runners. If you are interested in getting started in running you should definitely check it our. http://www.halhigdon.com

So anyway, think of me on Sunday and I will be back next week to let you know how it went. I’ll be participating in the Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon and I wish good luck to all of the 1300 runners who will be participating with me. You can find more information at http://www.allcommunityevents.com  If you have any tips before Sunday please let me know what they are. This is a first for me and even though I have been training I welcome all of your (constructive) advice. Till next time. xo