totally not LIW related but i wanted to share my HUGE accomplishment!

[dec2410]

ok. so i''ve been pretty overweight my entire life. never physically fit in the slightest. even when we were required to run the mile in jr high and high school, never ran it w/o stopping and gasping for air. there''s a little pond/lake in front of my house that i used to try to jog around. apprx. 2.25 laps is a mile....i would stop w/ all sorts of cramps and heavy breathing after just 1 lap.

that being said, fast forward to beginning of this year.

so in the beginning of february, i joined a new gym to utilize their pool. i thought since i never had luck with "land exercises", maybe the pool will be easier on me. when i first got in the pool, i was BARELY able to finish one pool length (25 meters) w/o feeling like my lungs were going to explode. i knew that jogging was out of the question, so i kept going at it in the pool for about a month (about 4x/week, 2 hours at a time).

1st accomplishment...so at the beginning of march, i noticed that swimming was getting more natural and easier. i was curious on how far i''ve come, so i kept pushing myself, just to see how long i could go w/o stopping....i did laps for 30 minutes straight.

so 2 weeks ago, i thought, since i can do that in the pool, maybe i''ve built up enough endurance to try doing "land-excerise" again. i would use the elliptical, stairmaster, bike, and the treadmill...switching it up every 20 minutes or so b/c i''d get bored. i noticed running had gotten a little easier than it used to be.

so now my 2nd...HUGE...accomplishment. due to a series of stupid events, i couldn''t get myself to the gym today, so i thought, its a nice night out, let''s try jogging around that lake again. mind you, i''ve NEVER run more than a lap around that lake.......

.....today, i ran 8 LAPS AROUND THAT LAKE! THAT''S OVER 3.5 MILES AND ABOUT 1 HOUR OF STRAIGHT JOGGING!!!!!! this might not sound like much, but to me this is insane!!!!! i was so excited, i started to tear while jogging!

granted, it was a slow jog...but hey! i didn''t stop to walk, not even once! just the other day i was complaining to my fitness buff bf that the number on the scale wasn''t moving and bitching about how frustrated i was. he kept trying to tell me to focus on how far i''ve come cardiovascularly. i didn''t want to listen and continued to pout.

i think this is the first time i didn''t mind hearing "i told you so!"

 

[miss_flo]

That is absolutely incredible, WTG!! I can barely jog 2 miles so I love your motivation and success. Keep it up girl!

 

[LaraOnline]

You are AWESOME!!
I wish I could move off the couch *dramatic sigh*

 

[jjc]

That is WONDERFUL!!

 

[LadyBlue]

WOW!! Congratulations,, keep going

 

[ladypirate]

Congratulations waitingpatiently!!! That is a huge accomplishment--good for you!

 

[mrscushion]

That''s fantastic news and a great accomplishment. 3.5 miles is a very serious distance to accomplish, and so is 1 hour of straight jogging. Wow! You have come really, really far in a short time. Congrats and keep up the good work!

 

[PrincessLily2009]

Wow! That IS an accomplishment! I''ve been been trying to work up to a 30 min jog for like 2 years. You. Are. AWESOME!!

 

[jcarlylew]

great job! I am at the beginning stages of swimming, so i am glad to know there is hope!!

 

[dec2410]

man...i''m not nearly as sore as i thought i''d be today...but i''m still pretty darn sore. hahaaha.

 

[dec2410]

Date: 4/3/2009 7:04:02 AM
Author: jcarlylew
great job! I am at the beginning stages of swimming, so i am glad to know there is hope!!

jcarlylew, there''s definintely hope!! swimming did so much for me, cardiovascularly. plus, its super therapeutic for me. gliding through the water after a long stressful day is so relaxing for me!!!

good luck with the swimming!!

 

[Lauren8211]

WP - That is AWESOME.

Don''t ever trivialize your accomplishments, either! You''re progressing, and that is AWESOME!

Sometimes the scale is the last thing to budge. When I lose weight, my clothes will start getting looser and looser but still no movement on the scale. Be patient, you''ll get there!

That is a great accomplishment, and you should be proud!

 

[KatM]

congratulations! i was all set to tell you that the first mile is the hardest, and that when you get to that point it''ll start to feel a lot easier...and then you said you did 3.5 miles! isn''t it empowering to discover new things that your body could do? the great thing about running is that there are always new goals to set for yourself and new things to accomplish. the more you do, the more you discover you can do and it''s totally thrilling.

I can run pretty far, but i''m a terrible swimmer. I''m impressed at your 30 minutes straight swimming laps. If I tried to do that I would be half drowned and dizzily swimming sideways across a few lanes. i''m really not good at the whole swimming in a straight line while not inhaling water thing.

 

[Patiently_Waiting]

That is a wonderful accomplishment!!! Keep up the good work!

 

[misskitty]

That''s so awesome! Great job

 

[tlh]

That is AWESOME! You''ll be out running a marathon in no time!

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

Way to go!!!! Thanks for sharing - that''s inspiring

 

[dec2410]

Date: 4/3/2009 10:59:10 AM
Author: tlh
That is AWESOME! You''ll be out running a marathon in no time!

woah there. marathon?! hahahah. well, my first goal is to do a 5k...then maybe a mini-triathalon....then half marathon....then maybe we can talk about a marathon! haahaha.

we''ll start with the 5k! hahahaa.

thanks for the encouragement!

 

[ms.halo]

You are truly inspirational!

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

That''s truly awesome. I admire your dedication.

 

[Cartwheel]

Oh my gosh, WP! This is awesome! You say your first goal is to run a 5k. Well, you just did!!!! Nice work! It''s totally inspiring! Keep it up!

 

[dragonfly411]

WP - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is awesome that you are building stamina and getting fit. I''m going to try your slow jogging

 

[adak]

That is awesome! I''ve been jogging/running pretty regularly for the past three years and I usually don''t make it to three miles on an average night. Way to go! That is a wonderful accomplishment! Keep us updated if you decide to do a 5K. I used to do them (prior to going back to school) and they are so much fun! And, like cartwheel said, you basically just did one!

 

[somegirl932]

That is so awesome! (And secretly? I''m more excited to hear stories like these than numbers of pounds and such.)

Way to go. That is amazing. I''m proud and I don''t even know you!

 

[ilovesparkles]

YOU GO GIRL!

 

[dec2410]

i went and bought new sneakers tonight! the ones i had were too small and didn''t give me enough support for my low arches. i thought this is just a small investment that WILL reap huge benefits that will last a lifetime. i can''t wait to test these puppies out!

 

[Bia]

I think this is really awesome. I can''t believe I missed this earlier!

Good for you waiting!!! Your story really touched me. I have always had trouble running. I used to try to blame it on being slightly asthmatic (which I am), but the truth was, I just had to take it slower and try a bit harder. I don''t know why but for some reason, running (apart from any other activity) has always been my sore spot. It took me almost a year but I am now running 3 miles whenever I go out. From where I started (where I could barely run 5 minutes without stopping) it is a BIG accomplishment. So I know how you feel.

Never underestimate yourself, because you''re proving what you''re capable of. I''m proud of you!!!! You''re inspiring me to keep going. I might just have to do a 5K this spring

 

[Blair138]

Awesome!!!! Congrats to you!

If you can run 8 laps and that equals 3.5 miles, you can totally do a 5K! Running is my workout of choice and I feel so accomplished when I cross the finish line of a race. Good luck to you, you can totally do anything you put your mind to!

 

[dec2410]

Date: 4/3/2009 10:29:33 PM
Author: Bia
I think this is really awesome. I can''t believe I missed this earlier!

Good for you waiting!!! Your story really touched me. I have always had trouble running. I used to try to blame it on being slightly asthmatic (which I am), but the truth was, I just had to take it slower and try a bit harder. I don''t know why but for some reason, running (apart from any other activity) has always been my sore spot. It took me almost a year but I am now running 3 miles whenever I go out. From where I started (where I could barely run 5 minutes without stopping) it is a BIG accomplishment. So I know how you feel.

Never underestimate yourself, because you''re proving what you''re capable of. I''m proud of you!!!! You''re inspiring me to keep going. I might just have to do a 5K this spring

bia - i hear ya sister!!! you go girl!! isn''t it so crazy what our bodies can do! i''m mildly athmatic too and i used to always use that as my excuse too. running was definintely my sore spot, too.

NOW, LOOK WHAT WE CAN DO!!!!

i''ve been researching and looking for 5ks in my area that i could participate in! i''m super excited!

let me know how your progress goes!