Last night I had a great run. I am currently running 13 minutes at a 4.8 pace (treadmill), with a minute of rest and repeat. I am covering roughly 3 miles in 30 minutes. I have officially been bitten once again by the running bug! It's great!!! I actually want to run again tonight, but according to the training schedule I am supposed to just walk for 30 minutes tonight. I think I will be doing pilates instead, really work my core. I am down another pound and have lost 1/2 inch more off my waist. Feeling great in my skin and have tons of energy! The end is in sight. 3.5 weeks more and I will have reached my first goal of running for a solid 30 minutes and covering 2-3 miles in that time. At this point, I am already starting to think about my next training schedule. I want to focus on distance and speed increases. Want to push myself from running 3 miles in 30 minutes to running 5-6 in roughly an hour. I would like to increase my speed from 4.8 to 5.3 / 5.5 over 9 weeks. Still doing the reasearch on the best way to accomplish this for myself.

I also have started to reach out to local runners/running groups so that I can start taking my runs outside as much as possible after I complete my next 3.5 weeks at the gym on the treadmill. Fall is just such a beautiful time to run outside, and the more I run outside the better adapted I will be come race time in April.

Quote: "Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."

B.

visual stimulation....

So, I decided to post some photos of the progress. I started this journey on August 26th, 2009. Roughly 3.5 weeks ago. I started at a weight of 163 lbs. A body fat % of 34%. I am not someone who is obsessed with what the scale says, so much as how I feel in my own skin and the size of my jeans. At the time that I started this journey I was comfortable in my size 10 jeans (well-worn), and now I am wearing a very comfortable size 8. The biggest accomplishment of the past 3.5 weeks has really been the body fat % lost. I have gone from 34% to 30% in 3.5 weeks! I think that is awesome! I am proud of myself, and completely motivated to keep working hard and stay focused on the ultimate goal of being in great enough shape to run that Marathon in about 7 months!!!

I thought it would be a good idea to post the photos not only for my own sense of accomplishment, but to serve as a reality check for anyone who wants to wake up tomorrow as the fittest version of themselves. It should be a gradual process, with small victories! That is how you know you are going through your own transformation in a healthy way, and with results that ultimately are long-term and lasting lifestyle change related. So, take stock in the small things, the numbers will change, however slowly it may feel. Know that these small accomplishments are what add up to the big goal!!! Be proud of what you can do, and never stop trying to do just that little bit more!

Recap of photos: I started the 1st photo at 160 lbs, and about 33% body fat. In the 2nd photo, I am 157 lbs, and 30% body fat. All in 3.5 weeks. Nothing Grande, by media standards, but an accomplishment none-the-less.

Good luck to you on your journey!!

the beginning....

My name is Beth, and I am on a journey. The journey to discover the physical, mental and emotional me, that I suspect has been pawing for an expressive outlet for most of my life, and frankly, I am tired of telling the little voice inside me to be quiet!

In fact, I am not sure why I have spent so much energy trying to keep her under wraps for as long as I have? I think that there are a multitude of reasons, none of which have much sway with me currently, so recalling them is a bit of a trick. Regardless, this is me now. I am a work in progress, and happily so!

I have always had a silent but sincere goal to run a marathon by the time I was 30 years old. Well, as biology and humurous father time would have it, I am 30! Will be until July of 2010. So, the SLC Marathon in April fits the bill. And here we go!

Starting this goal while I was a smoker, and a pretty regular drinker, plus not being really that regularly active at all...has given me the opportunity to accomplish a lot!

Starting with the smoking and drinking, together with my husband, who has been so strong and amazing!! This is still a work in progress, with more days of success than failure. To be discussed in further detail at a later date.

The workouts were not as hard amazingly!!! I have a good friend and a neighbor who happens to belong to the same gym as I do, and so working out for the first week was more about keeping a commitment, than it was about any certain physical accomplishment. That quickly changed however, and the search for training programs for beginning runners quickly became my focus. Along with proper nutritional guidance, and as many motivational quotes and success stories as I could find!

Well, I am happy to say that I am three weeks in and have lost 6 lbs. Have lost 3% body fat. Have lost 5 inches total on my body. And I can almost run for a solid 30 minutes, for roughly 3 miles.

I have 4 more weeks on my current Beginners running program until I have hit my 1st goal of exactly that: 30 minutes, 3 miles. I am so motivated, and focused!!!

Quote of my week: "It never gets easier, you just like it more!"

Until the next post, peace to you on your path!