Celebrating transformation half marathon style
Today a friend congratulated me on completing the Women’s Half Marathon this past weekend. She is a runner and has competed in several half marathons and one full marathon. “How does it feel to be a half marathoner at half your body weight?,” she said. “You must know you are in an elite group to claim the title ‘half marathoner.’ Even better, I don’t know anyone who can say they did so after losing more than half their body weight!”
Well, I said, you haven’t met my friends.
Then I told her the story of my friends from Fitness North who completed the half marathon with me last Sunday. I described how the six Fitness North alumni have collectively lost more than 750 lbs in the last 1-2 years.
Yes, six half marathoners sans 750 pounds in under 2 years! What’s better, we all transformed under the expert guidance of nutritional coach and trainer, Leif Anderson of Leif Anderson Fitness. And he completed the marathon too!
Way cooler is the fact that NONE of us would have even considered running or race walking a half marathon one year ago. So the Lady’s Speed Stick Women’s Half Marathon was more than just a race. To us, it was a celebration of our personal transformations and our new fit and active bodies. And, a celebration of a new-found belief in ourselves.
To me, that is what’s really cool. This is an elite group. And an inspiration.
So a big thank you to my fellow half-marathoners: Joyce Deiter-Cunningham, Deb Frie, Linda Koenig, Karen St. Louis and Julie Langenbrunner Wolleat. You ladies rock and I am so proud to be able to celebrate this accomplishment with you.
To our coach Leif Anderson who has been in the trenches with us every step of the way I say. “Look Chief! Look at what you did?! Pretty cool, huh?
Think of all of those we will inspire to get up off the couch and transform their bodies and their lives. It doesn’t get much better than that! Today, I am smiling for all of the transformations in the making and for all of the half marathons in my future.
Click here to view photo gallery from Women’s Half Marathon
Hey! I know this is somewhat off-topic however I needed to
ask. Does operating a well-established blog like yours require a large amount of work?
I am completely new to blogging but I do write in my journal everyday.
I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my personal experience and feelings online.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for brand
new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!
Hi, Thanks for the question. Yes, it takes time and a weekly commitment. But I use it to help myself stay on track and write about the subjects that are important to keeping me fit, healthy and happy and centered in a whole life. As long as you write for yourself as well as to help others, the commitment feels easier. But it does require steady focus and I try to post weekly or 4-5x per month minimum. I have developed a routine that works pretty well for me when I’m not traveling. I also have not spent a lot of time trying to extend my reach and bring new people in. If you added that aspect, the time commitment would go up. But I find the process helpful to me and every time I think about quitting or taking a hiatus, it seems I get an email from someone I helped who asks me to continue. Thanks for the question and good luck. Let me know if you get a blog up and running.