Reflections of a year gone by.....

This week not only marked my 9th training week for Disney, but it marked my 52nd week on Weight Watchers. To date, I've lost 56.2 pounds, have dropped from a size 26 to a 16, and have completed two 1/2 marathons. Words can't describe fully how much my life has changed, but I figured I'd try anyway.

Last September, I nearly had a mental breakdown over the situation between my father and his ex wife, the mother of my 3 young siblings. I was 290#, and ultimately miserable. My pictures from vacation last year showed a very plump version of me living with a family that is, for the most part, very health conscious. So, I decided to start WW. And I decided to buy a pair of running shoes, and start running.

Since the first day I wandered into the Track Shack, where all the employees are stick figure distance runners, and got fitted for new shoes, I've gone through 4 pairs of the same shoe, and gone from not being able to fit into anything on the racks, to being able to shop off the racks. My first sports bra was a 44ddd, and my new one is a 38dd. My first pair of "running" pants were cotton capris from the avenue, and my first "running" shirts were special ordered and therefore special priced for big women. Now, I don't have to order from the "Women's" sizes because I can wear the "misses' size. Yesterday, I tried on a pair of NikeFit capris in a size L?!?!

When I first started running, the crossing guards near my house would high 5 me everyday they saw me running, and all the kids would look at me funny. Fellow runners would look on me with encouragement, and then kind of shake their heads. Lets face it, a lot of people say they're gonna run to lose weight and get fit, but honestly, not that many people follow through. I fully intend to be one of the people who follow through all the way.

At first, the thought of running for 3 miles straight made me squeamish. But, I figured it out, and managed to start running 5k's pretty regularly. Then, I completely bypassed all the other distances like 10k, and 15k, and leapt straight to the 1/2 marathon. I'm the kind of person who goes big, or goes home. So, I decided to train for the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon and managed to complete it. Then, I set my sights on the Flying pig 1/2 Marathon in Cincinnati in May, and managed to complete that one despit the really hard course.

I trained religiously through the summer, through my husband's illness and unemployment, and all the stress of losing my beloved Jeep back to the bank. God, if not for my running, I surely would have backslid into insanity and eating.

When I decided to undertake the full marathon distance, everyone around me thought that surely I had lost my mind. My brother agreed to coach me, and devised a 24 week training plan that can best be described as grueling. As I finished week 9 today, after running 11.45 miles, I realized how far I'd come. Never in a million years would I have imagined a year ago that I'd be able to run almost 12 miles without having a heart attack or being crippled.

A year ago, life was very different, and life will continue to change as long as I"m running through it. One thing is for sure, life will never be the same as it was ever again.