Welcome! (and my first shoes!)

I'm creating this blog with the dilusion that one day I might be a runner. I know that positive self-talk is often the key to success, but let's be realistic - I tried to be sick every time we had to run the mile in school. My entire life I have hated running with a passion.

But I'm a girl who likes a challenge.

Tell me I can't, I'll prove you wrong.

I'm like that. Stubborn as can be. Not afraid to go against the grain. In fact, I think I take a twisted bit of pleasure in following the path of greater resistance. Just ask my mom...

So, since my body has always told me I can't run, I'm going to try to prove it wrong. The healthy way, with conditioning, training, practice, and probably a lot of curse words along the journey :-)

My reasons for deciding to take up running were several...
1) the CHALLENGE.
2) to help shed the love handles. group classes are fun, but I need something that requires commitment.
3) three, to f-ing quick smoking. Ok, there you have it, my first curse word. I picked up the nasty habit while in college and knew I had to put myself in a situation where smoking isn't an option - and Shyam and I aren't ready for kids yet... so running is to become my addictive fix.

Back in November 2006, I was crazy and took up Couch to 5k, a beginner's running program. Crazy you ask? Yes, because we were in the middle of selling a condo to relocate cross country, plan a wedding, the holidays, and snow on the ground. I got to the 5th week of the program, where you run 20 minutes straight, and gave up. I wasn't ready to quit smoking yet, got caught up in the holidays, and abandoned the program. Then in February 2007, we moved to Florida, and I was certain I'd spend many a Saturday training on palmy trails. Again, who was I kidding? I am a procrastinator and the last months of the wedding planning really caught up with me.

.... so, you ask yourself while reading this, does she ever follow through?

Well, that's the plan. Seriously.

As many of you reading this may know, I'm an active member of Weight Watchers online. In June, another Floridian, Julie (GPBYJULES), was contemplating signing up for the Disney Half Marathon - we sort of dared each other to do it and went for it. Accountability.... ah haaaaah. I told her I'd run a few times before the wedding but nothing crazy, however I'd be 100% on target after returning from our Honeymoon.

So...
5/31/2007 Registered for 1/12/08 Disney Half Marathon - Check.
7/7/07 Wedding - Check.
7/9/07-7/17/07 Honeymoon - Check.
7/17/07 QUIT SMOKING - Check (this one is huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
7/20/07 Started attending aerobics classes at the Y - Check.
7/22/07 Restarted C25k running program - Happy Birthday Me :-)
7/24/07 Went to my 1st Weight Watchers (WW) meeting ever, after a year of trying to winging it by myself online and not getting so far..
8/14/07 Ran 2 miles nonstop for the 1st time in my life

I keep hovering around the 2-2.5 mile mark on my runs, time to bump it up. I run 2-4 days a week and cross train with cardio kickboxing, step, latin cardio, and weights. I've become a gym rat of sorts but am loving it.

more progress on becoming a healthier and more fit me....
8/13/07-11/4/07 I am leading a Halloween WW challenge to focus on the Healthy Guidelines of the plan, it's called SATP and I LOVE this group of girls!

and today, very exciting for me, was my first professional running store shoe fitting. Starting with my former manager Dirk, many runners have told me how going to a running specialty store for a fitting will make a world of difference. So, I went to Track Shack in Orlando (www.trackshack.com) this afternoon and got my first pair of "real" running shoes. I can't wait to try them out tomorrow after my Cardio Interval class!

So, lots of rambling. If you've read this far, I'm amazed. Leave a comment to let me know you visited! Maybe something organized in future posts... we'll see.

Happy Trails,
Denise