yes you absolutly can

it`s going to take time and dedication and drive and courage. Find someone who beleives in you = be it an on line friend , a real world friend or a family member - set yourself shart term goals and make a plan on how you`ll reach that goal - know what you need to do each day - tick it off - every day you`ll feel so good that you are one step closer.

Take a look at the group training thread here I posted a report from the NYC Marathon and my 2 year journey from being a 225lb slob to a 4 hour marathoner

Running is 99.9% in your mind. You can do ANYTHING that you put that 99.9% of your posotive additude towards. Everyone gets scared, thats natural. My suggestion would be just keep working at it and working at it. Maybe stick a note on your wall with a couple upcoming dates of local 5ks, to keep you motivated. Slowly but surely you will work up to your marathon goal. Most likely you will plateau a couple times, which is simply where after days, weeks, or months of improving, you seem to have "hit the wall." Do not let this discourage you, and know that behind this semingly unbreakable wall, is more improvement. Good luck and best wishes, Kimberly

Cheryl,

Yes....it will take hard work, dedication, determination and guts, but yes you can do it.  Many of us, me included, started out at a place just like you are now...it won't be overnight, it will be hard, but I can promise you it will be worth it.  Like others have mentioned, start slow, consistently, and make your new lifestyle a priority in your life.  Baby steps at the beginning.  I suggest you give yourself small "rewards" (non food items of course) that you can celebrate your milestones.  Maybe a pedicure when you make good food choices for a week straight (notice how I didn't say diet) for example.  These things should be motivating to you so you will want to reach these goals.  I also found that a running log helped me.  In the beginning it helps to know in paper what you expect of yourself.  Someone on the community has a tag line that says "Plan your run and run your plan".  Its really that simple...plan to do what you want whether it be running, changing your eating or both, and do it.  There are a lot of very motivating people here...use the community as your support as well as those in your personal life.  I also found the more people I told of my plans the more people I was accountable to.

Good luck,

Cyndi

Absolutely you can.  I have a sit down all day job too and Asthma since I was 8 and neither of those two things stop me.  It is truly amazing what you can accomplish once you put your mind to it.  A 5 k may be scary as it is probably the first thing like this you've ever done.. I get that.  Just remember, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. Baby steps are the way to accomplish any goal... Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.  Just set yourself a realistic and obtainable goal each day or each week, whatever works for you, and go for it.  Don't let your fear rule you... your dreams are more important.  My suggestion, is to imagine how you will feel when you finish.  I am not sure what I am prouder of, my marathon medals or my first 5k... honest.

The first step is always the hardest.

Hi Cheryl -

I think you can! You have a lot of support here, for sure :-)

Your story sounds very similar to mine - I also have a sit down job and after 2 kiddos, I gained some weight and wasn't happy about it. I had an epiphany about this time last year when I couldn't climb the stairs in my house without loosing my breath. I joined Weight Watchers in February and was down to my goal weight by August (about 35 lbs). I also started slow with the activity level. Like you, I took the stairs, I parked as far away as possible, I would park between stores and just walk from one to the other, take stacks of laundry up one at a time. It took me forever to get the laundry done, but I would meet my step goal for the day! Gradually, I hit the treadmill, walking at first, then gradually jogging, then running, then adding extra cross-training activities like spin classes and most recently swimming (got my work cut out for me there!). I started a 5K training plan from Weight Watchers and was hooked on running by June. I ran a non-competetive 5K in mid-June and ran all but about 1/3 of a mile. The next race I entered was about 3 weeks later (a 4-miler) and ran the whole thing with a pretty respectable time.

I have continued to enlist in races to keep me motivtated to run - and just signed up for my first 1/2 Marathon. I have found that the littlest changes - made over time - are the easiest ones to maintain. Set an overall goal of running the 5K, but set smaller goals in the mean time in terms of how long you walk or run or how many steps you take in a day. That'll keep you on track :-)

Good luck to you!! You can do it :-)