on again, off again.

I've had an on again, off again relationship with running from the beginning. I credit my 25 pound weight loss before my wedding to running, but as soon as the honeymoon was over, I slowly eased back into my old habits of laziness and regained that weight and then some. Even though I loved running and the way it made me feel, it wasn't enough to get me running on a regular basis. Summer of 2004 found me again very unhappy with my weight and my lifestyle habits, so in the winter of 2005, I decided to do something about it. I joined a weight loss competition at work, and for good measure, also participated in a fitness challenge at my local gym at the time. I figured the double motivation wasn't going to hurt! When I started, I weighed 150, which doesn't sound like much, but on my 5 foot frame, it was WAY too much.

So I started running again. Mostly treadmill running, but also enjoyed runs along a trail in my town. I also started tracking my caloric intake and I lifted weights. By April, 2005 I had dropped 30 pounds and was in the best shape of my life! I amazed myself by placing second in the weight loss competition at work (out of men AND women) and by placing first in my age group in the fitness challenge at the gym. That gave me the best boost in confidence and motivation ever!

I was able to keep the weight off and continued running until I found out I was pregnant in February, 2006. Running during my pregnancy was not an option for me, so I temporarily (but grudgingly) gave it up . My awesome baby boy was born in September, 2006 and after his birth, I became a stay at home mom. In January, my husband (who is a recreational runner) and I discontinued our gym memberships and purchased a treadmill so we could run at home, and I could run during my son's naptimes. I started running again regularly in February, 2007 and this time, running would become part of my lifestyle.