So Glad to See Y'all Back!

Hi Ladies!

Well, as promised, I'm posting and WOW has it been a long time! I haven't lost any weight - at least I don't think so - but I don't know because the battery in the bathroom scales died and I haven't yet gotten around to replacing it. I think I'm a little scared to, since I have been eating SO MUCH lately. My appetite is really strong with all of the running that I've been doing. Which brings me to...

The marathons. Yes, plural. I am running my first marathon on November 16th (if you'd care to say a little prayer, I'd appreciate it - I feel like I can use all of the help I can get) and my second on December 14th. The first one, I want to beat Oprah's time (4:29) but the second one's just for fun. I'm a little scared of the distance, but I've come up with a battle plan (courtesy of Lance Armstrong's ex-wife's friend via Runner's World magazine). Which is...

I plan to dedicate each mile in my first marathon to someone I love, someone who has been an inspiration, or someone who has gotten me to the point where I could run a marathon. For example, one of my running buddies is mile 8 because she got me through our first 8-mile race last year. Another friend is mile 25 because he has always believed that no matter what I'm doing, I can do anything and I will do it well. You ladies are mile 22 - because each of you has been such an inspiration and last year when I said in a posting that I was thinking about taking a running class, each of you was so supportive and realized that while I might be afraid of it, it could be a really good thing. So like it or not, you'll be running a marathon in spirit! But the last mile...

That last mile of the marathon is kind of how I feel about my relationship with my body and this whole weight loss thing. You can't set out to lose weight or change your lifestyle or get healthy simply because you want to please someone else or because they told you to. In order to be successful at it - as many of you have shown - you have to want it yourself and be willing to work for it. The dedication it takes to be successful and lose weight in a healthy way doesn't come from other people - it comes from within. Which is why, the last mile? Of my first marathon? When I could barely run a half-mile 14 months earlier? That one's for me.

There's so much else going on so I'll keep posting, but I'm glad to "see" you ladies again. I've missed you!

Lisa