I Finally Got My Blog On!!

Well, guys, I've finally broken down and set up my blog. My friend Pam said, "It's about time." But, she's only blogged once so I don't feel so bad! ;-)

Growing up, I was always outside playing--whether it was playing football with the neighborhood boys or softball with the Pearl Youth Association. But, I've never been a runner, even though I've always wanted to be. I just never had enough confidence, I guess, to think that I could actually do it. My side would start hurting, or my legs got tired. There was always an excuse.

Then, I got old. :-) And my excuse was just that--it's too late for me to start now. I have always tried to at least walk, though. And, I do weights (not like I should) and I have a Life Cycle. But, for some reason the beginning of the year brought about a change in me. I decided--I guess as part of my "New Years Resolutions"-- that I would start running. I set a goal for myself of running a marathon by the time I was 45. Well, that gave me almost 2 years. I thought, "It will take every bit of that time to get ready for a marathon!!"

Then, something wonderful happened. I was leaving my house for work one Thursday morning when I noticed a newspaper in my driveway. (I only subscribe to the weekend paper.) So, I picked it up and threw it in my car. At lunch, I pulled it out, started reading and right there on the front page of one section was a story about "Marathon Makeover." How freaky was that? So, I decided to go to the meeting on Saturday. I mentioned it to my friend Pam, who already knew about my "resolution," so the two of us decided we'd go together to the meeting. We both joined the group.

Now, it's 10 weeks later and I'm feeling really good. I do have bad days when I get discouraged. I was feeling sorry for myself last week and complaining to my best friend. I had just completed a fairly easy 45 minute run on the treadmill. But, I was complaining about how much harder it is for me outside. I usually have to walk some rather run the entire time. She quickly reminded me that just a few short weeks ago, I couldn't even run 2 minutes without sounding like I was having a panic attack (heaving breathing and lots of moaning)--and she would know because she witnessed it. :-)

She really did help me see things in a whole new perspective. My gosh, I'm running 4-4.5 miles now!! That's amazing to me. And, even though 26.2 miles is MUCH more than what I'm doing now, I feel in my heart that I can do it! We all can. :-)

Well, that's enough for one blog session. See you all on Saturday!