Running....

I don't know when I became a runner. Actually I do. For about two years I've been trying to lose 20 pounds. I hit 30 and - boom - the pounds gradually began to creep onto my body. So I got a membership to the gym (I've always loved working out) but I would go sporadically. Then I hired a personal trainer for about a year. That was a great experience -- I learned a lot and was very proud after I had completed a session, but again, I wasn't losing the weight. Last fall, my friend Shanon and I did one of Jillian the trainer's programs. It is found in her book "Winning by Losing." It was a great workout and we loved that she had a plan for us each day, but again, once the program was done (it was 12 weeks) the weight was still there. So something Jillian and my trainer had said was that if you want to lose the weight you have to do cardio, cardio, cardio. So in January I decided to give it a try -- I started running. Very slowly at first and in short periods of time. Now it's been 6 months and I hate going a day without running. I really, really do. I love running. I love the adrenaline it gives me. I love to sweat. There's just something about it that feels great. I don't do the same "run" every day. Sometimes Shanon and I will run outside. Sometimes we'll walk the incline, which is every bit as good as running, sometimes we run sprints, which are amazing -- Anyway, since I stepped up my cardio and running I have lost 16 pounds. That doesn't sound like a lot when you hear about people on the biggest loser or Oprah losing hundreds of pounds but for me it is great! I only have four more pounds to go to reach my goal weight and I'm sure once I hit that I'll want to keep going. What can I say? Running is OFFICIALLY in my blood!