I weighed 335 lbs and hated the way I looked and felt.  I knew it was going to be a long process, but I also knew running was the best way to get it done, for me...

Over 100 lbs later...  Still running...

DH tried to get me to run way back in the 70's. Not happening.

I tried again in the 80's with limited success. It was hard work.

I finally started again in the 90's. I did the C25K plan. It clicked for some reason this time. Who knows..no small children to schedule around?? My DD#2 started running XC in high school and it turned out she was good. That meant I had to be able to run across the course to be able to see her from various points. So, I kept running.

Runnning is my one claim to semi athleticism....(Is that a word?)

----

Patty

iwilldoit.....Funny because one of the reasons I continued to run was that I have college kids. On move in to the dorm day, I saw all the other moms huffing and puffing up the stairs or waiting in a long line to use the elevator...only to go up one floor and I thought..."Not ME"  

I will admit to using the elevator when the one kid got a room on the 6th floor. !http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/biggrin.gif|src=http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/biggrin.gif|border=0!

----

Patty

i wanted to run for a long long time but i was so afraid everyone would be staring at me. now i don't care. i've decided that running would be a great way to get into shape and to lose some weight. so here i am. now i'm only like 6 weeks into it but i love it so far and being on this forum helps out a lot.

In the 80s (the first time I lost weight) I was heavily into bodybuilding and aerobics.  Tried running then but HATED it!

By 1991, I'd stopped lifting and gained all the weight back plus! Didn't want to return to a gym, so I discovered step aerobics, which I did on and off for years, along with a lot of walking (although not necessarily power walking).

By the end of 1997, after a few minor weight losses/gains, I was heavier than ever and made a life-long commitment to fitness (sounds stupid, I know, but I promised myself that not matter what my weight was, I'd keep exercising if I was able--and I have kept that promise).

Anyway, I went back to step, but got bored with it and it wasn't hard enough even for a female over 220lbs (over 250 at first) without doing a lot of power step or going higher than 6" which hurt my hips. Then I briefly tried to learn to inline skate. Wound up with a dislocated thumb at the start of my first lesson (yes, I had on all the protective gear).

Was going to try to intensify walking when I saw Oprah Winfrey's book Making the Connection. When I read that she started at over 220lbs, I figured if she could do it, so could I.

This was in May 1999, and I've run ever since.

I started running in order to lose weight. I've kept running, through a lot of weight ups and downs, although the overall trend has been down, because I love it!

Too bad I have absolutely no talent for this sport! Still, I'm grateful to be able to participate!

Mary

I started running the first time was about 7 years ago... I started to lose a few pounds... I knew running was the best for calorie burning, so i decided to do it till I got thiner again. Then I fell in love with it, and just ran... I stopped caring if i lost the weight, I was running because it was a blast for me... well I did lose the weight... then I got pregnant, almost had a miscarrage, and stopped running altogether, with the intention of starting back up after the baby... well DS came, I tried to run, but it was HARD! I couldn't run like I had before... and I guess I thought I should be able to just start right back up running... very nieve, I know. During all this time, I never ran with anybody, never had a schedule or a goal... I just ran however far I could or wanted to... my farthest distance then was maybe 4 miles... which I thought was LONG!

Now after my son turned 3... and I still hadn't lost the baby weight, I had actually lost a few pounds, then gained them back with a few more... I remembered that I used to love running, and that I lost weight running before, without "dieting" just be eating healthy, and running a few days a week... so finally last year about Oct... I decided that I would go out at least 3 days a week, and do whatever I could... I had been running for a few months, but only once in a while, and so was NOT seeing progress... once I made a commitment to 3 days a week... it stuck... then as I progressed, and found my rythm again, I fell back in love like never before... and now I descovered this forum, and training plans, and racing, and running logs and MANY more miles... I just completed my first HM this past sunday... and i now run at least 4 days most weeks, and I'm looking to bump it up to 5 days soon. !http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/biggrin.gif|src=http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/biggrin.gif|border=0!

So I started running each time to lose weight, but I continue because I LOVE IT!!!!!!

----

myspace[/URL" target="_blank">


Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger, Our work is never over...