Slow and steady wins the race

Four months ago I couldn't walk up the stairs without getting winded.  I couldn't button my jeans without two or three attempts.  Dress shopping was a nightmare.  Health wise I was at the bottom of the barrel. 

Its hard to look at yourself at that point and say "How much further down do you want go?" But like I have said time and time again there was a moment where I just couldn't take it anymore.  It was time to get healthy and I think I am well on my way to getting there.

 I didn't win the race but I finished it in 32:21.  I finished 137 out of 170.  There were six years olds that beat me.  I wanted to run it under 30 minutes but I just couldn't do it. I am trying to be okay with the fact that I didn't hit my mark.  I even owe my co worker a lunch because I didn't run the whole time.  I walked twice for about a minute each time and I can say with confidence that is why I didn't hit my 30 minute mark.  I also let myself get really busy the last two weeks leading up to the race and didn't stick to my workout like I should have.  I tried to stay up with my friends who were running in the race as well and I couldn't do it.  There are alot of things I would do differently now looking back at it...

BLAH!!!!

Are you all done with reading this pity party as I am done writing it?  I don't really care if people thought my time was slow or I walked for a minute or two.  I don't really care that there were people who ran it about 15 minutes faster than me. So what? I did it.  I ran a road race.  Something so small but just four months ago was impossible.  There are so many things that people who are not over weight or who are in great shape take for granted.  I can't do that anymore.  Each new thing that I accomplish is just another that I wouldn't have been able to months ago.  This whole transformation or journey has been hard.  I am just now starting to see the results of my work.  Pant fit much better, people are saying how great I look, stairs aren't as bad...As amazing as it all is I know that the journey is not anywhere close to being finished.  If I were to compare it to a marathon I am about 1/4 of the way in with the finish line nowhere close.  I am not completely sure how I feel about it either.  I am scared that I can't keep it up.  I am confident that since I have gone this far, I can go the distance.  There is a lot I don't know yet.  Time will tell just how far this journey will go.

I do know that I am not doing this alone.  I have the most incredible support group made up of my future husband, family, friends and followers of my blog.  I received so many sweet and thoughtful messages before and after the race.  I never thought that people would care as much as they did about my journey but they do.  I can't believe the people who came out to race with me.  They all knew that I may not be able to keep up with them but it was important to me enough to me that they doing it with me.  Jillian and her husband drove up from the Cape just for the race.  Vicki, her girlfriend and a two friends ran in the race and then headed up to participate in the bike ride part of thethe Epic Man challenge (Participants start off the coast of Maine, kayak to New Hampshire, then bike ride to the start of the Marathon from New Hampshire and then run the Boston Marathon. INSANE) Kenny ran the race and finished just shy of 20 minutes.  He was even mad at himself that he didn't know that he was that close to the finish and would have pushed himself more if he had even known the finish line was as close as it was.  And finally Chris Lopes (court's husband) ran the race on no sleep because he was on call ALL night.  INCREDIBLE! They are truly incredible people.  *A special thanks to Ali Fornash who was supposed to run the race but day of could not make it.  Her own journey of racing, eating healthy and blogging has been such an inspiration to me that I know that she would have been there if she could.*




Then there was the ones that stood at the finish line.  The roar of the my own personal crowd as I crossed the finish line was incredible. 

I am so lucky to have these people in my life.  To them this road race wasn't something they HAD to go to, they all wanted to be there.  Geraldine even came to the race with my bucket list on a big poster board so I could check off "run a road race" off my list.   They have been the ones (well not the only ones.  "Team Dee" has many members) asking about the weight loss, going for runs/walks with me, calling me on Sunday mornings to get my weigh ins, cheering me along, going with me to Bigges Loser Tryouts, wedding appointments, wedding shows...EVERYTHING. You need supportive people like this in your life.  The type of people who go out of their way for you just because they know when they need it, you'll do the same.  These types of friends/family are hard to find but so important to have.  Success is is still a success but not as sweet when its not shared with the ones that get you there.

So a big "Yessah Buddy Boy" to me as I cross something off my list and continue on to the finish line of the Skinny Bride journey.