Today I officially began the 12 week training plan to get me ready for my first half marathon. I will be running in the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in St. Louis, MO on October 23. I ran 3 miles today with an average pace of 10:44. Not too bad considering the heat and humidity. Of course, I got up at 6:00 am to get up and run before it becomes unbearable. A year ago, I never would have thought that I would be training for my first half. This last year has been a really crazy year with a lot of changes in my life and in the lives of many of my friends.
The biggest change in my own life this year has been losing over 40 pounds since January. With my 40th birthday approaching and my weight at an all time high, I knew it was time to do something. My husband suggested that we start doing P90X after the new year. I wasn't so sure I wanted to commit to something so big. After my dear friend Marissa experienced the loss of her sweet baby Paige after just 64 hours of life, I really thought about how precious life is. Also at the end of January, I lost my loving god-mother, Yong Cha, to cancer. She battled cancer for 13 years. I knew I must make the most of the life I have been given. I knew that if I continued to weigh over 200 pounds (my top weight was 208) and to eat junk and lay on the couch, I would eventually be shortening my life. I wanted to be able to keep up with my kids and have a good time. So, I told my husband I would join him in the P90X workouts. By March, I had lost 30 pounds and I was feeling a lot more energetic. I had several friends who were runners and they always seemed fit and happy. My friend, Julie, told me how she had participated in a half marathon the year before. I decided I would start running and train for a 10K.
I began by following the Hal Higdon 10K training plan. Two of my coworker, Julie and Rachel, set out on this journey with me. It helped to have others to run with, and we could encourage each other to keep going. My husband, Dave, also signed up for to participate and motivate me to keep going. He had been running for a couple of years now, but had not participated in any races. He is such a supportive husband! He has gone along with me in this running journey, and he will also be running the half marathon.
In March, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer. It had spread to other parts of her body. She has been doing well with chemo, and her cancer is "melting away" in the words of her doctor. We are hoping and praying that the next report will find her in remission; but again this confirmed my previous decision to find a healthier me while I still can. The decisions we make will affect our future health and happiness.
I completed my first 5K on April 2, 2011 and my first 10K on April 30, 2011. I loved the feeling after completing a race. I have since completed 2 more 5K's, even placing 1st in the Athena division (women weighing over 150) at the 5K in June. So now it is time to begin training for the half. My current weight is 166, down 42 pounds from my top weight in early January. I have lost 7 inches off my waist since I started working out and eating healthier. I would like to lose another 10-15 pounds eventually. I followed the South Beach diet beginning in late January. I haven't been as faithful to the diet plan over the summer with vacations and summer get togethers, but I have been able to keep my eating fairly healthy. I definitely eat healthier than I did a year ago. I'm not so focused on losing weight now, just at least maintaining my current weight (although losing a little more would be okay) while I focus on training for the half. I'm nervous and excited about training for my first half. I hope I can inspire others to find a healthier life
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