Give Breath to Life 5k

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." --John Bingham

Last weekend I ran in the Give Breath to Life 5k sponsored by Weber State University Advanced Respiratory Therapy Students. All the proceeds for this event will benefit those in need of Respiratory Care through the American Respiratory Care Foundation.  As a Respiratory therapist this was an event that I could actually say I was running for something I deeply care about. 

This wasn't my first 5k but it was a first timed race.  I ran with my friend Mary who is an alumni of RT program at Weber State.  (I think i am going to need to write a seperate post just about Mary so you all know who she is.) It was held on the morning of October 8th, a very cool day, the air was chilled enough that it made me feel like I had to keep moving even when there were times I wanted to stop and catch my breath; There were many times through out the morning when it was so much easier to walk and that is what I did. Though my time was not super fast( 42 minutes and 32 seconds) I can proudly say that I finished and I even ran to the finish line.  "In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." -Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder.    It wasn't my goal to be super quick or to be the first accross the finish line but my one and only goal was to finish and that is exactly what I did.  Now as I challenge myself more thoughout the next year I hope that my time will improve drastically. I would like to improve my time by two minutes with each event that I partisapate in. (Very do-able)  As I think back to the beginning of the year and why I decided to start running and make particpating in a 5k a goal to reach before the years end, I am reminded by the simple fact that I never really thought that I would be runner much less running in 5k's (It just sounded good).  My goal for this year was to run one 5k and by the end of the year I will have participated in 4 events. I honestly can say I am proud of where I am at today and I am proud of where I am headed. This is my journey! 

   

"You also need to look back, not just at the people who are running behind you but especially at those who don't run and never will... those who run but don't race...those who started training for a race but didn't carry through...those who got to the starting line but didn't end at the finish line...those who once raced better than you but no longer run at all. You're still here. Take pride in wherever you finish. Look at all the people you've outlasted."
- Joe Henderson  This was the perfect qoute to remind me that it really doesn't matter how I got to where I was going or how long it took what matters is that I am "doing" and that means something when there are some many people who have given up or haven't even tried.

Something to be proud of..


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

What a wake up call it was to see the number on the scale climb that day  in January.  I knew that day I had to do something.  I felt beaten up and discouraged but I knew something in my life had to change.  I had set a few goals at that point:  First was to complete the Couch to 5k Program(which I had started several times before), Second to actually run my first 5k by the end of the year,lose 85 pounds by the end of the year, last was to start making choices for me and my happiness.  Part of me actually thought I would accomplish these things and another part of me knew that this wasn't just something I wanted to do this was something I had to do--my life was dependent upon my decision to make my life healthier!



That quote above describes perfectly my first run and how I felt and even how I continue to feel each time I step out onto the pavement to run.   That first run especially was hard though.  I remember starting with the first five minute warm-up walk and thinking this should be pretty cake.  Oh boy was I ever wrong!  That first sixty seconds of jogging I thought I was going to die--How was I ever going to make it through 9 intervals of this?  Was I crazy for thinking that I could do this?  Well even if I were crazy I was going to have to work thru it because my life depended on it at least that's how I felt. At the beginning of each jogging interval I picked a landmark (a mailbox, stop sign, or light pole) and just ran until I reached it and hoped that by the time I got to it my little timer would ding and it would be time to walk again and if it weren't then I would look for the next land mark.  Each run got easier and easier. I am often more slow than I am fast but I enjoy my time out on the streets and each time I hit the pavement I find that I am becoming more and more comfortable with it.  Although in a "real" runners world I would be referred to as a "jogger," I feel I am a runner because I know what effort feels like, and I embrace it. I know when I'm pushing the limits of my comfort and why I'm doing it. I know that heavy breathing and an accelerated heart rate - things I once avoided - are necessary if I want to be a better runner.    Anyway back to the original quote in this post.  Truly the miracle isn't that I finished that first run, I knew that I could finish, I believe that I can finish anything if I put my mind to it, the true miracle was getting the courage to start.  Changing my routine and what I was comfortable with was the hard part--and I wasn't comfortable with my body image nor how I appeared in running gear.  I had to completely change my way of thinking.  I had to stop worrying about all the other people driving past me as I ran down main street FAT, SWEATY, RED FACED, and OUT OF BREATH--NOTHING AT ALL LIKE YOUR "TYPICAL" RUNNER.

I can't say that starting the C25K program was the only thing that has helped me come this far in almost maintaining my first weight loss goal but it definitely has helped.  I have also been following a very strict diet.  Most of you that talk to me on a regular basis know that I decided that after I had lost that first initial 25 pounds on my own I had decided to give myself a boost and try the HCG diet following Dr. Simmons protocol.  I have been attending the Medical Weight Loss clinic in Ogden where I meet with a Dietitian, and Nurse Practitioner once a month and have weekly weigh ins with the staff there.  I have been off the HCG diet now for about a month but have continued to lose 2-3 pounds per week since then following a high protein and slow carb(Low Glycemic index) Diet.  Also while I was doing the HCG I couldn't do the C25K program because of the very reduced caloric intake,  so I had to once again start over but this time it was much, much easier.  The motivation was already there! 

The title of today's post is Something to be proud of and today I truly have something to be proud of and I am really excited to share with all of you.  I am now officially 20 pounds away from my original  and first weight loss goal, I am running my first race on August 20th, 2011 though its not a timed race it's a running event and even slightly longer than a 5k and I will be playing in the Mud.  (More on that in a later post), and last I have joined a gym called LifeLong Fitness where I have a personal Trainer that I meet with twice a week but I am expected to be there at least 5 times a week. ( Again more on that later.) 

I hope you all have goals and aspirations in your own life that you want to work towards.  Know that sometimes the things that we want the most are the things we have to work the hardest for.  Thank you all for you continued love and support!

With much love,  AJ

Taken Late 2010

End of June 2011



July 4th, 2011