Lots of Motivational Monday stories today! Looks like you were all pretty active over Thanksgiving :)
Sam just ran her first half-marathon! She ran a 10K in June, and really didn't have any desire to run that distance again; so instead, she decided to go for a half-marathon. She set a goal of 2:45, and ended up killing that goal with a time of 2:34!
You may recognize Dean from when he shared his first 5K... or his first 10K... or even his first half-marathon. It's been a joy to watch his progress as a runner, and actually see him get smaller in the process. It was because of Motivational Monday that I met Dean online, asked him to join my Ragnar SoCal team, and then later met him in person. And today, I'm SUPER excited to announce that Dean has reached a new milestone... he's lost 100 pounds!! At 217, this is the smallest he's been since 1996. He celebrated the milestone with a six-mile run, and then on Thanksgiving, he set a new PR in the 5K, finishing in 28:02!
Jessica completed her first 10K at the Detroit Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving! She's an avid 5K'er, but this was her first 10K. She finished in 1:07, and she loved the race. She's super proud for accomplishing that run!
Janine just completed her first 10K, the "Nikolaus Lauf" in Regensburg, Germany, with a personal best time of 59:07! She was thrilled to finish under an hour. She said the field was competitive, but she had fun.
Jamie is proud to have run her first 5K race, finishing in 51:56!
Meg (far right) ran her farthest distance ever during a Turkey Trot this week--5 miles! She had a baby boy in September, and was very excited to get the go-ahead from her doctor to start exercising; when she did, she trained for this race. Next, she hopes to train for a half-marathon!
Like many of us, Crystal set some New Year's Resolutions for 2013: one of them was to reach the 130's in weight, and the other was to fit into size 8 jeans. She stuck with her goals all year, and just weighed in at 138.8. Since May 2012, she's lost 118 pounds! She also blew way past size 8; here she is in a pair of size 2 jeans! Her next goal is to complete her first half-marathon on Dec. 15th. (Crystal doesn't have a blog, but she has a Facebook page)
Coree (far left) PR'ed at a Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving, despite having lots of excuses not to go! It was 20 degrees outside, she wanted to sleep in, the other girls were faster than her, etc... but she went and she finished with a 20 second PR!
Rachel started running in February, at 54 years old, and on Thanksgiving, she ran her first 10K! She finished in 1:10:48, and just signed up for her first half-marathon in March 2014. She said she was never a runner, but now she absolutely loves it! (Rachel's blog)
Tiina went for a run with her (canine) running partner on Thanksgiving morning! She said it was a beautiful morning for a run, and she was very thankful to spend the morning outside. (Tiina's blog)
Liz just completed a couple of big milestones in her fitness journey--she reached her 10% weight loss in Weight Watchers, AND she completed her first 5K! In September, she couldn't even run for a full minute; but she downloaded an eight-week training app, followed the program, and completed the race. She's already planning her next 5K! (Liz's blog)
Nicole and her five-year old son completed the Santa Fun Run on Sunday! She and her husband are trying to teach their son that exercise is just a normal part of life, and not a "chore" to dread. He was very excited to train for this race, wanting to go outside and run drills so he could win ;) The two of them are going to train for The Color Run next!
I loved reading this e-mail from Claire! I didn't want to cut anything out, so I just copied it here:
"I NEVER thought I would run a race. Honestly, if you had asked me a year ago at 326 pounds to run anywhere I would have told you I only run when chased or from a fire, and even then it would have to be a pretty bad fire. A few months ago, after losing 100 pounds and my weight stalling, something clicked in me while I was reading your blog, and I decided to sign up for the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and the Half Marathon in May in Cleveland. Clearly I had lost my mind.
I have always wanted to run a marathon, triathalon, SOMETHING that would make me feel like I had done a thing, but I never had enough faith in myself. I have bad feet (bunions, severe overpronation), one leg is longer than the other causing hip pain, and I get severe exercise induced migraines if I do too much in the heat. My body is clearly against me. No matter. I won't be swayed!
I bought a treadmill for $75 on Craigslist. It isn't fancy and it creaks if I lag behind but that's just more motivation to stay at the front and work harder. Following your advice, I made goals I knew I could stick to for a lifetime. 3-4 days a week on the treadmill. At LEAST 2 miles at a time. The first few times I didn't make it that far. I got back on the next day and went further and further. I made a deal with myself that I couldn't watch Breaking Bad unless it was from the treadmill, again at your advice. I got up to week three of the couch to 5K program when I got a SEVERE sinus and ear infection and just couldn't bear the treadmill for almost 3 weeks right before the Turkey Trot.
Three of my friends had signed up for the race with me, and two talked me into dropping from the 5 miler to the 2.5 mile race so they would feel more comfortable. Those two friends ended up cancelling altogether, so the remaining friend, Betsy, and I resolved to run the 5 mile race....in 24 degree weather. I had never run outside and I was still on antibiotics, but it was my first race and I was determined to run it!
We arrived early, and one of the drop-out friends and my fiance were there to cheer me on. Betsy and I lined up and ran and walked and talked and enjoyed the race as much as you can when your lungs are burning and your toes are numb. As I approached the finish line, my fiance ran up and played "Eye of the Tiger" on his phone to inspire me to finish strong.
As we ran across the finish line, I realized I had finally finished something. I didn't quit, I didn't give up, and I didn't back out just because everything wasn't perfect. I DID IT! I had set three goals: Don't die. Finish. Don't be last. I hit every one. When I got home, I looked on the internet for a sticker or magnet to commemorate my first race. I couldn't find anything that said "5 miles" or "8K", so this crazy girl got on the treadmill for another 1.3 miles just so I could get a 10K sticker and not be a liar. I've never been so proud of myself. Ever."
Liz and her husband started running in April 2013, with the goal of completing the Gobble Jog 5K. When the time came to sign up for the race, they impulsively decided to go for the 10K instead! She was extremely nervous, and it was only 20 degrees in Atlanta, but she ran the entire way without stopping, finishing in 1:09:47! Her husband finished in 52:30! Liz has lost 20 pounds since she started running in April, and now the couple is talking about half-marathon training :)
This e-mail from Jen gave me chills!
"This weekend wasn't a race that I run, but a race I helped plan and put on for a family friend! You see I have not been running very long, but have definitely fallen in love with running. I fell in love with it from learning of the life of a fallen Navy Seal from our small town of Rockford, Iowa. His name was JT. His brother-in-law, along with other family members have started a foundation called 3 Minutes Out. They hold a 5k each July to raise funds for the foundation and military families and collect items for soldiers that are deployed. Scott works so hard to ensure that JT's memory is not forgotten, as well, as remembering other veterans. Unfortunately, just a few short weeks ago, Scott was diagnosed with cancer. After a lengthy hospital stay his family was left was a pile of medical bills.
This was all on my mind as I started creating I am thankful posts and planning my November workout calendar. I had written down an easy 3 mile run for Thanksgiving morning and that is when my wheels started turning. I thought to myself maybe we could hold a quick no frills run on Thanksgiving morning to raise money for Scott! In a few short weeks we planned a little fun run and the turn out for our little town was amazing!!! There was no fee to do the run, but we had a free will offering bucket and raised $1267.00. I was so proud of our community for coming together to support a friend. It was so motivating to see all of the runners/walkers out there in 12 degrees working toward a goal of burning some pre feast calories and raise some funds for Scott! It was truly one of my proudest moments!
Since I was so busy getting this organized that morning, I didn't run with the group. I had to get my run in later that day, but boy was it worth it!" (Scott's Facebook page)
Amanda just completed her first half-marathon yesterday! At 275 pounds, she was very happy to do this race and prove that you don't have to be thin to run ;) She did the Galloway method of running one minute and walking one minute intervals. She said she really recommends this method for anything thinking that they "can't do it" because of their weight. (Amanda's blog)
Joy, and her daughter, Kady, ran the Trot for Hope on Thanksgiving! It was a two-mile race, and Kady was very excited to complete it!
You can check out some more motivating stories on the Motivational Monday Facebook post!
