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My Journey

Have you ever had one of those life-changing moments that hits you like a flash of lightning?

 Me neither.

My life changing moment was more like a glacier, slowly enveloping me until I was apart of it and then there was no going back. Luckily, this glacier was a healthier and more active life.

After our youngest son was born, I went to the doctor and discovered that I was 296 pounds!?

Well that didn't really change anything for me. Yet.

My sub-concious must've really been tweaked by that number though, but by the time I actually started doing anything about it, I'm sure I was over 300 pounds.

I was always active as a kid. Played basketball, being 6' 2" helps with that, ran track and field. The 800M, shotput, high jump, and discus were my events. Then adult life happened. Adulting is hard. Add marriage, job and kids, and BAMMO! 300 pounds.

In July 2011, I joined the gym with a friend. We treated our gym sessions like appointments, and it stuck. I was hooked. Endorphines are my friend.

I lost 30 pounds in those first 3 months, and then it stopped and I stayed stagnant. I didn't want to admit that I needed to change my diet. Exercise was not enough. I changed my diet, and that of my family's, slowly. The weight started coming off again. I was trucking along pretty well for the next year. I ran my first 5k. I think I averaged a 16 minute pace. I was ecstatic. For the next 18 or so months, I was a gym rat. I was active. I made better choices. Then God decided to shake things up.

During the winter of 2012/2013, I was about 210 pounds and I started having problems. Woman problems. Weird woman problems. I decided that I needed to return to zero, and had my IUD taken out. Things eventually went back to normal. Then BAMMO! Pregnant. What?!?!

We weren't trying. We were done. DONE. We were blessed with a baby girl. Number 3 did mess with my fitness a bit. When I discovered I was pregnant, I was half way through Tony Horton's Power 90. I didn't finish it. Morning sickness was the enemy, and I had it all 9 months (just like with the boys). I ended up gaining 40 pounds back, but when I got the all clear to start exercising in December 2013, I catapulted back onto the endorphine bandwagon. The husband and I were doing to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, belatedly, in April 2014. Our actual 10th anniversary was at the tail end of my pregnancy. We did not lack motivation. We decided on T25 and stuck with the program. The cruise was amazing, and I got back down to pre-baby weight. 210 pounds!

Then I registered for the Twilight 4-miler race at the end of June, and started training for that. I think I finished that in 48 minutes. Sometime in May 2014, I joined MRTT (Moms Run This Town) and it was the best decision I've ever made where my running is concerned. They are such a terrific group of women. They also convinced me to run my first half marathon.

I decided to run in a local half marathon the weekend before my 33rd birthday. I trained all summer and finished in 2:32:38 with an average pace of 11:40. I couldn't believe it. I'd gone from barely able to maintain a 16 minute pace to 11:40 for 13.1 miles!

Since then I've run 2 more half marathons and have many more planned. My new goal is to run a sub 2:30:00 half. I'm also down to 189 pounds.

I've shifted my focus from weight loss to performance and toning. My eating habits follow a 80/20 flow, and I can honestly say, I've never been more at peace with myself.


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