About me

October 2011

July 2012

I am a mother runner.  More specifically, I am a mother; a single mother of 3 children whom I've raised on my own for the past twelve years.  It's hard to believe we survived the trials and tribulations, but the kids are now 19, 17 and 14 so there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It has been a difficulty journey but I am extremely grateful that I was lucky enough to get 3 amazing kids.

I reluctantly am accepting the term runner, I'm a runner.  I've never really been a runner, unless running away from your life counts.  But I digress.  As a kid I did gymnastics, dabbled in track (high jump and long jump) and may have ran one race in my teens. But other than an occasional ski day that was the extent of my physical activity.

Not surprisingly then that as I got older, married and had children that I began to gain weight.  My first pregnancy was one of indulgence and I foolishly gained more than 70 lbs.  Considering that I started out with a few extra pounds this was not a great combination.  My subsequent pregnancies didn't add any more weight but they certainly didn't take any pounds off.  Fast forward a decade later and through the stress of suddenly finding myself single, growing health issues and a good dose of self pity, I found myself 140 lbs overweight.  Me, the long-legged girl who had been nicknamed string bean by my grandpa; me, the girl who was a fashionista in her twenties.  I had become someone I truly did not recognize.

Shame, pain, laziness and fear kept me trapped in a self-inflicted prison.  I had tried to craft a facade that life was fine, that I was happy and act as if I didn't notice that slowly my weight had ballooned over 300 lbs.  315 to be exact.  Then the gig was up.  Random acquaintances would comment about my weight or voice concern for my health.  My supervisor hinted at it at first and then it was more obvious when I lost my job.  That shock was a blessing in disguise.  I got to spend time starting to heal and learning how to be with myself...it definitely is a work in progress!