I figure there is no time like the present to start this blog, so here it goes. This is my first time blogging, but I am an author/publisher so how hard can this be? (Insert laughter here). And by author/publisher, I mean I wrote a book about my 100+ pound weight loss, self-published it, and have sold some books - to people OTHER than my family! In all seriousness, the book is doing well on Amazon, and I am blessed that people are purchasing it. Losing One Hundred Pounds, LETTING GO of so much more than just the weight, was a dream of mine to write for therapeutic reasons. If I help one person in their weight loss journey, then I have succeeded!
With that being said - the quick summary of the book (Although if you want to purchase the book, it really is an easy afternoon read)... it takes you through how I trained for my first half marathon weighing in at 326 pounds prior to turning 40, and then lost 100+ pounds
after I turned 40. The book describes the emotional aspects that come with losing weight that you never expect.
Fast forward to 43, multiple races later including another half marathon, a 3 day/30 mile race for breast cancer awareness, a knee surgery, and gaining 30 pounds back due to getting off track for 9 months while knee was healing. And then reality slaps you in the face. You have 50 more pounds to lose to hit your goal weight, and you want to run a full marathon before you turn 45. Let me pause right here for a minute. In my weight loss journey I have found for me personally, the whole "losing weight by a certain date thing" does not work. I am losing weight to be healthy, to turn around negative lifestyle choices - Not before a certain date. BUT. Fitness challenges are different for me. I have a yearly fitness goal that I challenge myself prior to my next birthday. It is typically challenging myself to try something out of my comfort zone. One year it was yoga. Another year it was the half marathon. This year it is a fitness photo shoot. Thank goodness my birthday is in July - still have a few months to get that one in. I digress.
The Disney Marathon Weekend was this past weekend (January 9-12, 2020) at Walt Disney World. I have run multiple races at Disney, but never that weekend. I have always slated that that weekend is reserved for the true runners. This past marathon weekend, I found myself obsessed with following the social media posts about the races. Cheering people on, celebrating their joys, and crying with them with their sorrows. I did know a few people there, and congratulated them on their accomplishments! It soon hit me - why am I not there? I can do this. 26.2 miles.
The above Google map shows the 26.2 miles. I am a visual learner as well as a kinesthetic learner. So once I visualize the course, I will try to practice run as much of it as I can, without going to Disney jail for trespassing. The course from this past year starts at EPCOT travels to Magic Kingdom, circles behind property, to Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, MGM (yes, yes, yes - I know it is officially "Hollywood Studios". To me it will always be MGM) and then back to EPCOT for the finish. All 4 parks, 26.2 miles. The neat part of this is that by the time I will reach EPCOT the second time, the park will be open. Thus, you can finish the race with a drink in hand! The only thing I need to decide is margarita, champagne, or beer???
With all of that being said, reality is slapping me in the face yet again. 250.6 pounds, left knee is hurting, and 26.2 miles is staring directly at me in 51 weeks. I have got to figure this out. I have been doing yoga for a few months now, and HIIT since February. So I am good on the cross-training. It is just the TRAINING aspect I need to find again. This morning I found it. In 37º cold. Now, I was born in New Jersey, I love cold weather, but on my terms. Not running in it. But the OCD-ness in me says - what if it is cold the morning of the race? They won't postpone it until it is warmer. This morning was just a baseline to see where I am starting. I cannot even say I ran this - I walked this as my knee was in a lot of pain and feeling every bit of 43. I am under the care of two orthopedic surgeons right now, both who agree that I do not need to be running. I was freezing. The air hit my lungs and it hurt, my lips - chapped. My cheeks, hands, nose - everything not covered in four layers of clothes was frozen. (I know if you live up north you are laughing at me.) But none of that mattered. What matter was the fact that I needed to get my baseline and start training.
I completed 2.53 miles in 43:03 minutes. Which means my pace was 16:57. The Disney marathon pace needs to be 16 minute mile or faster. Ultimately, I need to figure out how to drop this walk time to a 15 minute walk pace (for my comfort zone), and just add 24 more miles. I've got this, I have to - and 50 more weeks to do it.
All of my love while racing out of my comfort zone - Clara
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