Running

My computer finally blitzed out so I've got Chris' hand-me-down while he got a new one for work. I was looking through old pictures the other night that he had downloaded from his phone. This one about took my breath away:

I looked at it, zoomed in on it, and had to blink my eyes a few times. God, that was me. Yes, Webb was still a baby and I was definitely still carrying baby weight but my gosh, I couldn't believe that I was staring at myself.  I've been thinking a lot about running (which is what I think about a lot) and how it's truly transformed my life. It's made me more confident about myself, stronger on the inside. I never ever thought that I could accomplish long runs of up to 11 miles. I never thought I had the perseverance to stick with it long enough to see real results. I never thought I'd push myself one more mile or a little faster. I never thought I'd be addicted to exercise (in a good, healthy way) or look forward to a trip to the Y. Running has giving me something that no one can ever take from me and I will always, always be grateful to my best friend and running buddy Carrie for inviting me for that first run back on December 15th. Here I am almost five months later ready for a half marathon (I've got something up my sleeve but it's a secret!) I am thankful that I will hopefully never be as unhealthy as I was in the above picture. For the sake of my own health and for the sake of my family who needs me around for a long time!


And just because a before picture is no fun without an after:

 

I don't guess it's a true "after" because I'm not done yet. This journey is far from finished.

 

 

 

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

-John Bingham