When I was at my heaviest, I used to fantasize that someone would see my potential and offer to train me for free. I didn't have the money for a personal trainer, but I knew that if someone would just give me the chance that I could be good advertisement for their business. I knew what I needed, but I just didn't know how to get there on my own. Often I would imagine Jillian Michaels hearing about my progress and thinking, "That girl could do big things if only she had someone like me to guide her." I even imagined Jillian standing at the edge of my treadmill reminding me, in her not so subtle way, to get my f*&%ing hands off the handrails and to give my run 100% effort. That kept me working harder more times than I would like to admit. As you can probably understand, I was desperate to change my life, and even hallucinations were not too low for me at this point in my life.
When no help magically appeared, I had to dig deep and take the initiative to find creative ways to get the guidance I so desperately needed. In past blogs I have written about coming across a "walk to run" article in Weight Watcher Magazine that inspired me to embark on my running journey. And when that plan became too easy for me, I was then guided to Team in Training (and Coach Bryan and Mentor Stephanie) when a timely postcard arrive in my mailbox announcing their search for participants for their current running season. In a way, the guidance was appearing to me, but I had to take the initiative to see that those resources were exactly what I needed and then follow through by doing my best to take advantage of everything that was being taught to me.
I have also had the great fortune of having the right people enter my life at exactly the perfect time. Once Sean finished his third half-marathon, his body decided that it was done with Sean pounding it on the roads. After that, I was forced to do a lot of running on my own. It was really tough to get up in the morning by myself...I did it, but was not really enjoying my running as much as I had in the past. That's when Kay, Emily, Karrie, and Leslie came into my life to challenge me to push my body in ways I never thought I could. Kay pushed me to do ridiculous hill training, and because of Leslie, Karrie, and Emily I can now call myself a Tough Mudder and an Ironman. I also now have a consistent group of people I run with in both Temecula and Murrieta that love running in the early morning, so I have no excuse not to get up and do my morning runs.
Over time I have realized that my fairy god trainer has resided inside of me all along. I am the one that decided I needed to change. I am the one that took the initiative to find the resources I needed to improve my weight and my lifestyle. I am the one that has discovered the power of surrounding myself with supportive friends and family that keep me moving forward on my journey. I am the one that did not quit running after completing my first half-marathon and the one that continued to challenge myself by entering increasingly more difficult races. I am the one that had the discipline to follow my Ironman training plan to a T, and I am that one that pushed through more than fifteen hours to cross the finish line at Vineman. I think sometimes we lose confidence in our abilities to help ourselves, but we need to remember that we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for. Dig deep and find that inner fairy god trainer inside of you--you will be so thankful that you did!
When no help magically appeared, I had to dig deep and take the initiative to find creative ways to get the guidance I so desperately needed. In past blogs I have written about coming across a "walk to run" article in Weight Watcher Magazine that inspired me to embark on my running journey. And when that plan became too easy for me, I was then guided to Team in Training (and Coach Bryan and Mentor Stephanie) when a timely postcard arrive in my mailbox announcing their search for participants for their current running season. In a way, the guidance was appearing to me, but I had to take the initiative to see that those resources were exactly what I needed and then follow through by doing my best to take advantage of everything that was being taught to me.
I have also had the great fortune of having the right people enter my life at exactly the perfect time. Once Sean finished his third half-marathon, his body decided that it was done with Sean pounding it on the roads. After that, I was forced to do a lot of running on my own. It was really tough to get up in the morning by myself...I did it, but was not really enjoying my running as much as I had in the past. That's when Kay, Emily, Karrie, and Leslie came into my life to challenge me to push my body in ways I never thought I could. Kay pushed me to do ridiculous hill training, and because of Leslie, Karrie, and Emily I can now call myself a Tough Mudder and an Ironman. I also now have a consistent group of people I run with in both Temecula and Murrieta that love running in the early morning, so I have no excuse not to get up and do my morning runs.
Over time I have realized that my fairy god trainer has resided inside of me all along. I am the one that decided I needed to change. I am the one that took the initiative to find the resources I needed to improve my weight and my lifestyle. I am the one that has discovered the power of surrounding myself with supportive friends and family that keep me moving forward on my journey. I am the one that did not quit running after completing my first half-marathon and the one that continued to challenge myself by entering increasingly more difficult races. I am the one that had the discipline to follow my Ironman training plan to a T, and I am that one that pushed through more than fifteen hours to cross the finish line at Vineman. I think sometimes we lose confidence in our abilities to help ourselves, but we need to remember that we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for. Dig deep and find that inner fairy god trainer inside of you--you will be so thankful that you did!
Ten years ago I could not find the strength within myself to change my life.
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