Running Story Part 2

So, where were we? Oh yes. Getting my post-pregnancy lard butt into shape once again...


My pre-pregnancy weight was 187. I was not happy with that, but it wasn’t the highest I’d ever seen on the scale (195 at that point in time) so I accepted it. I gained 35 pounds during pregnancy, and through eating better (not great, but better) I managed to lose it all within six months, which was my goal. I even managed to NOT gain weight on a family trip to Disney World right around that 6-month mark. Score. (Does that cancel out one of my previous “fails”? I say yes!)

With my little peanut...

But, that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to get back in shape. Like, for real shape...not my fake version of “it’s not so bad” denial-shape. So, I started working out. Sometimes. Not consistently, but enough. And then, on a February day when it was unusually warm for that time of year (which is the only reason I remember what month it was), I decided to give running another shot.

Prior to this, I had tried, here and there, running on the treadmill. I found it was physically easier than running outside, and had managed to once get up to 10 minutes. But that wasn’t the kind of running I wanted to do. I wanted to feel the breeze, have the wind in my hair, blah blah clichéd blah.

And I did! I can’t remember specific details, but I’m sure that I walked a bit, ran a bit, walked a bit, ran a bit...you get it. I was pretty proud of myself, and vowed to continue on with my running plan.

Of course, I didn’t. Fail again. But I did continue working out – sporadically. Man, do I ever know how to quit a good plan! I still didn’t have a gym membership at this point, but I had access to a treadmill, and spent an unhealthy amount of time watching weight-loss shows in order to find exercises that I could do in the comfort of my own home. (Note: merely watching weight-loss shows does NOT, in and of itself, make you skinny. Who knew?) I got down to 178 by my daughter’s first birthday, lost a bit more...then got a new job where people kept making delicious food that I just couldn’t say no to, and gained some back. All the while NOT running, and rarely working out. Super fail!

But...when my daughter was about 18 months old, I decided to go for it. I’d try the running thing again. AGAIN! The first time I went out, I think I lasted 5 minutes before I had to walk. But then, a really wise (and hot as heck) friend gave me the best advice ever: that the first five minutes are often the hardest, and to just NOT give up. So I didn’t. The next run, I lasted 10 minutes. The next time, 15. Eventually, I got to the point where I could consistently run for 30 minutes without stopping, and sometimes, if I was having a good day, I could run up to an hour!!!

Holy crappies! Of course, when I say “run”, I mean “slow jog”. But that didn’t matter. I was proud of myself.

When my daughter was approaching two years of age, we decided to start trying for baby #2. I decided that in order to NOT let myself get obsessed with trying to conceive (I had previous fertility problems that make getting pregnant difficult), I would try to lose during this time as well.

I got pregnant the first month. Which was awesome! But I’d only lost 3 pounds. Still...I weighed 180, which was a whole 7 POUNDS (sarcastic woot) less than my previous pre-pregnancy weight, so I decided to just accept it.

9 months pregnant...

During my pregnancy, I gained 39 pounds, and lost over 20 pounds with the birth of my son. That left me at a post-pregnancy weight of 198 pounds. I got down to 183 by following Weight Watchers once again, but then my weight loss stalled because I was really unmotivated. That was, of course, until I read Mama Laughlin’s blog and realized that it was NOT impossible to get fit after having two kids, and that I COULD do it. I mean if she could, why not me? And that’s when I REALLY became a runner!

Newborn bliss...

You see, sometimes it’s just about having the right mental stamina. In a short few weeks, I have gone from barely being able to run to being able to CONSISTENTLY run 5k without stopping . And I’ve gotten faster (not FAST – but faster!). And once, I even ran 10k!!!! 10k!!! Me! The non-athlete.

Me and my bestie, Taylor on her birthday!

So what’s the moral of the story? I have no clue. I should probably have thought about that before rambling on like this, eh? (What are we at? Fail #17 by now?). But, I guess if I were to sum it all up, I would say this: do not allow that voice inside of your head to convince you that you CAN’T do something. That voice is a jerkbank (trying to keep this a profanity-free blog, peeps) and has no idea what it’s talking about. Want to know what you CAN accomplish? Ignore that voice, lace up your runners, and go find out!