One Year & 562 miles later

This blog update isn’t about Katherine. Or at least not directly. Sorry to disappoint! =) This blog is about something that started for me one year ago. One year ago today I started running. I started with the help and encouragement of some dear friends: T & M and cousins R & K. =)

T’s been a runner for years. T is a working mom of two wonderful little girls and the sweetheart of A. T gets up in the wee hours of the morning before her family wakes and takes to the streets to get some miles in before she starts her day.

M’s an all around get fit kinda girl. She loves running and has taken up Pilates in the last year too. She’s a lady who travels ‘round the country for her career and manages to still get in some runs, regardless of where she is.

Then there’s my cousins: R & K. I think it was about 4 months ago I started seeing their posts about training for a half marathon. Both are career women. Both not only stayed on plan for their half marathon training but both finished their first half marathon about two weeks ago.

Four amazing women, that motivated me more than I can tell you. Four amazing women, that continue to motivate me.

I often think of the words of encouragement from T that she gave during a 5K we ran last fall… It was a run at North Hills. And the name is appropriate. Hills. Burning hills. T was encouraging me by saying things like “you got it girl!!!” “Keep going!!” “Almost there!!” “The mailbox is the summit!! Downhill from there!” When I’m having a particularly rough run I hear T saying those things to me.

M encouraged me to look like a runner. At first I thought it was kinda silly but thought hey – any excuse for some shopping and new clothes… bring it on! It’s made a difference. I really can say that when I dress like a runner – I feel like a runner.

Today as I started my run I thought about me a year ago, and what motivated me. I had an almost one year old little girl. Still had 10 pounds of baby weight hanging around me. I wasn’t exercising and couldn’t figure out how one could go to the gym after work (‘cause ya’ll know me – before work wasn’t happening), work full time and have a husband and daughter that you want to spend every minute you can with. I felt sluggish.

Along came running. It was a way for Katherine and I to have some Mommy/Katherine time and Daddy to have some of what we called “oyster time” (as in the world was his oyster… he could do whatever he wanted with those few hours!) We worked it out.

Today, I’m 18 pounds lighter and about 3 sizes smaller. It's the lowest weight/size I've ever been in my life! My first run on April 25, 2009 was 2.34 miles at a pace of 12:34 per mile. I can tell you this was not a sustainable run. After that I averaged between 1.5 and 2 miles.

Today I ran my longest distance to date: 4.5 miles at a 9:01 pace. In one year’s time I’ve run 562 miles in approximately 92 hours and 12 minutes during 249 runs. I burned 53k calories.

Today, I’m an athlete. Today, I’m proud of myself. Today I say… If I can do it, you can too!!!