New Runner, Chapter 11

NEW RUNNER: Today was an awesome day!!!

I'm just feeling good all over! To start with, I had two (not one, but TWO) colleagues ask me if I've been losing weight! I can't tell you how amazing that made me feel! I've been keeping my "running thing" on the down low, and haven't shared it with many people.

I was also able to dig out some of my favorite Ann Taylor pants ... pants that I haven't worn for two years ... this weekend. (Thank goodness they're "timeless.") AND THEY FIT! Size 8! It feels so great that I'm not the only one who is noticing this change in my body. I know it's only 13 pounds, but it really makes a difference.

I also completed the first part of a major professional goal today. I feel so good that I am doing something reflective for myself as a professional, and it will greatly impact the people I work with every day.

And ... on my run today, I felt like I was on top of the world. I could breathe. I could move my feet. And I didn't tire at all. No huffing and puffing. Not aches and pains. It just felt amazing!!! My next time out, I increase my running time by 2 minutes. I need to remember how I felt today when I'm out on Thursday! Overall ... what a fabulous day! I wish every day was like this!

MISS DAISY: It feels good to be good to yourself. That's the bottom line. Conversely, it feels crappy to feel crappy about yourself. This is an undeniable and universal truth ... your high school physics teacher and Issac Newton have confirmed it. (Newton's First Law of Motion says an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion ... unless an external force is introduced. Guess what the external force is here? Your DECISION to get healthier!) And the better you feel, the better you do ... personally, professionally, within your family, within your community. I remember just feeling "happier" overall. Those good feelings feed themselves and after beating yourself up for so long, it's addicting and empowering.

I hate to say "I told you so," but I told you so.

Congrats on feedback from coworkers and new old Ann Taylor pants, too! Validation from the outside is an important part of this process and you[ll find yourself paying it forward on the other side.

Now, on to the next workout. Sure. It will be tough. But you already know you can meet a challenge ... and beat it. Let that thought carry you through the rough part. You have EARNED this and you can do it! Yay, you!