Personal Victory

Today I had a huge personal victory. About 6 1/2 years ago I decided to become a runner. I ran about 3-5 days a week and really enjoyed running and the alone time I had out there just me and my music and the pavement. I occasionally trained for different races but never really pushed myself to improve my time. I never considered myself a "runner".  In July of this last year, 2014, I stopped running because I was having lower back pain and thought it was a result of only running and not working on strengthening my core and the rest of my body. Over the course of the next few months I did a few different programs, 21 Day Fix, P90X3 and 2 weeks ago, I started Insanity Max 30. I have missed running but was afraid to run again because I thought it would hurt my back again.
This morning, I decided to go for a run. My last run was at the end of July. I ran 3 miles and my average pace was 11:16. Today on my run I ran just under 3 miles and my average pace was 8:11!! I improved my average pace by 3 minutes!! I could hardly believe that I could improve so drastically without running regularly.  Victories in your journey to fitness, big or small need to be celebrated! Today is a huge victory for me and I can't wait to see where my journey takes me!

Finding Someone to Inspire You

This is my friend Shelby. Over the years that I have known her, she has become an inspiration, a coach and my friend...in that order. Shelby and I have known each other for about 12 years. When my husband and I were dating, she was a friend of his and we didn't really know each other very well. We became friends on Facebook and I started paying attention to her life and following her journey. She had a great husband and two great kids, but somewhere along the way, like a lot of moms, taking care of her fitness and health needs got pushed to the side.  After gaining about 50 lbs she decided that she need to make some changes in her life and take time for herself.  She started eating healthier and making changes in her diet. She found Insanity, a workout that takes no equipment, and that you can do at home.  After a year of working hard and making changes she lost that 50 lbs and changed her life. All along this journey, I watched her and saw what she was doing. I remember her posting about a workout she did at the playground while her kids were playing. She was finding ways to incorporate these healthy changes into her everyday life.
She probably had no idea how closely I was following her life and checking out what she was doing these last few years. She has quietly been inspiring me for years by her good example.  By sharing her life and her journey to fitness. When I was ready to make healthy changes in my life I knew that she was someone who could help me reach my goals. And along my journey these past months she has become one of my biggest cheerleaders who has helped me reach goals and lifts me up when I am discouraged. I know that because of this journey together I have a friend for life.

Thank you Shelby!