Runner's World!!!

It came today!! I've been waiting oh-so-impatiently for the April issue of Runner's World. Last June, my From Fat to Finish Line Ragnar Relay team was informed that we would be gracing the pages of RW, which was SO exciting. The story has been in the works ever since--I had no idea it takes so much work to put together an article like that!

None of us had seen the the layout, or read anything that was going to be in print, so we have all been anxiously waiting to get our hands on a copy. In January, we were told that only six of us would be featured. I felt a little guilty about that, because all 12 members of the team have worked REALLY hard to get where we are, but it was understandable that the magazine didn't have enough room for everyone. I'm not sure how they chose who was going to be featured, but it ended up being Rik, Ada, John, Jennifer, Allison, and me.

I couldn't believe it when Runner's World sent me a large box of running clothes to try on and choose some outfits for a photo shoot. Yes, a photo shoot. Of me. For my favorite magazine! They sent a photographer, Peter Hoffman, here all the way from Chicago to take several hundred photos of me. The whole thing was mind-blowing! All that work, all those photos, for ONE PICTURE in a magazine?

I had so much fun during the photo shoot, and Peter was great--but I hadn't seen the pictures. I was nervous about seeing the magazine, because what if they chose terrible pictures of me? They wanted to get some "serious" photos, where I wasn't smiling, and I am not good at that. I like to smile, and I look much better when I'm smiling! So Peter took a ridiculous amount of photos, smiling/not smiling, in motion/still, etc.

I did a couple of phone interviews with the writer, Lisa Marshall. She was really nice, and I felt very comfortable talking to her. I had no idea what the angle was going to be as far as my story goes, which was a little nerve-wracking as well!

We were told this was going to be a feature story in the April issue, which is their weight loss issue. All of February, I was nervous and excited about the story. This week, I've been checking my mailbox daily to see if my issue was in there. Today, I opened the box and there it was!

I was really stunned by the fact that not only did my picture take up the entire PAGE, they also used my before and after photos for the intro pages! Again, I'm not sure how they picked, but I was very excited to see it :)

I read through all the pages of my team once really quickly, and then I went back and read them all more slowly. I was SO happy with the entire feature. I love the photos they chose to use, I love the angle they chose for each of our stories, and I learned a few things from reading my teammates' tips!

This whole thing has been a dream come true for me. Four years ago, I couldn't even run down the length of my street; and now, I'm in the pages of Runner's World magazine?!

I've written several times about my love/hate relationship with running, but today I want to focus on the love. So here is what keeps me running, nearly four years after my first run:

*Running burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time, so I get to eat more--and I love to eat ;)
*Running helps get rid of my anxiety.
*Running helps me sleep better.
*Running makes me feel like I "belong".
*Running challenges me. No matter how fast or long I run, I can always try to go faster/longer.
*Running gives me something to set goals toward. After losing the weight, it gave me something else to focus on.
*Running keeps me in great cardiovascular shape.
*Running gives me a purpose, something to work hard at.
*Running has helped me keep over 100 pounds off for over three years.
*Running gets me outside. I'm not an "outdoorsy" person, but the fresh air is good for me.
*Running gives me a topic to talk about with my friends who also run.
*Running sets a good example for my kids to exercise.
*Running gives me time to think over a problem.
*Running makes me feel special.
*Running has helped me to make a lot of new friends.
*Running gives me something to be proud of.

So there you have it--all the "love" parts of running. It's really changed my life dramatically, and for the better!