My Marathon

Have you ever run a marathon?  I will never forget my roommate, Loi, coming home one day and telling me that she was going to run the L.A. Marathon in a matter of about 8 months.  My first response was "What?!  Are you serious?!  Why would you do that?" and then I quickly became intrigued.  It takes dedication and a lot of training to get to the point of physical fitness to run a marathon.  I ran with her from time to time in preparation, and on the big day I was there for her...by her side.  No...I didn't run the entire marathon.  I met her at mile 15 and finished with her (which was a total of 11.2 miles for me, plus another few miles getting to and from my car).  I'll never forget watching everyone cross the finish line.  It was inspiring.  My friend, Loi, made it.  Eight months of dedication and hard work paid off in that one moment.  What an accomplishment!

Why, might you ask, am I bringing this up?  Am I considering running a marathon?  Well, NO, at least not this year, at this point.  I have just found a great analogy for my continued weight loss journey.  It really is like a marathon.

Let me explain.  Months ago, when I was beginning this journey, it was daunting.  It was easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead of me.  I had to remain focused on the goal, but had to take each day at a time, and celebrate getting through each day as an accomplishment.  When training for a marathon, the journey can get overwhelming as well.  26.2 miles?!  That is a LONG way!  Each mile you complete in preparation for the final goal is reason to celebrate.

When running the actual marathon, support is important.  The L.A. Marathon draws hundreds of thousands of spectators that line the entire route.  They encourage every step.  It is really amazing.  I'm so thankful that I've had my own cheerleaders on this journey.

At approximately mile 20 of a marathon, runners often hit a figurative "wall".  Their bodies just don't want to go anymore.  Their minds are exhausted.  They are ready to quit.  I totally get this now.  It amazed me that people who trained for12 months and had just completed 20 miles could say "Enough.  Twenty miles is good enough" instead of persevering to that finish line.  In the grand scheme, an addition 6.2 miles is NOTHING compared to the 20 completed.  But they are so thoroughly exhausted. 

I feel like I'm pushing through my "wall".  Once I hit 30lbs, I felt accomplished.  I started wearing pre-baby clothes and stopped dreading pictures, getting dressed and the workout jiggles.  I felt stronger.  I slipped into a "Thirty is good enough." mindset instead of further motivating myself toward the goal.  My workouts started to slack, and the candy corn and baking began to beckon once again.

I haven't gained, but my weight-loss has been at a snail's pace for the past month.  Essentially, I sat down, had a bottle of water, and then started to stroll in my marathon instead of keeping the momentum going.  It is time to get the momentum back.

My goal is 10lbs away.  It is time to finish this race.  See you at the finish line!