A little post for me...

Spring 2007 was great. Madeline was such an easy year old baby and the real estate market had not yet bottomed out. She went to MDO 3 times a week and came home each day ready for a nap. I cooked, I cleaned, and back then we would take hour and a half long walks (about 4 miles) all the time. I had a lot of time on my hands. I got toned and I finally lost the 70 lbs. that I had put on during pregnancy.

Spring 2009 brought with it a beautiful baby boy who did not nap at around the same time that my easy 2 year old decided she wasn't going to nap ever again. I did not cook, I did not clean, and I felt like I had no time on my hands.

Fast forward to February 2010. I heard that there was going to be a "Women Can Run/Walk Clinic" here again. I had seen women gather at our local park for this clinic before. I always thought it was great, I always thought about joining, but I never did...until this year. I decided that even though I still didn't feel like I had any spare time that it didn't matter- I needed to MAKE time for me. To get healthy and to challenge myself. I HATED running before signing up for this clinic.

The first night we gathered, visited a bit, and then walked around the route we would take in the freezing cold and dark. We brought flashlights and wore several layers for the first few weeks. I heaved and thought I would throw up or die the first few weeks. And then, after the first few weeks, we ran for 3 minutes- I RAN FOR 3 MINUTES! I was running longer than I was walking and I didn't feel like I was going to die anymore!

Now we are at week 7 I think. We are running 6 minutes and walking 2 minutes for our intervals now. It is amazing to be with a group of women and all doing this together. We are all at different levels of fitness, all of us are different sizes, different ages, and there for different reasons but the thing that binds us together is our commitment to do this. That "just do it" ad has come to me so often during my runs. Just do it, just get through it, just breathe. And I do. I get through it and I feel GREAT after I do. This week during my run on my own I ran 6:30, then 8 minutes and then seven minutes! WHA?!?

So I am writing about this here because I think it is significant to document that I am taking some time for me. I am hoping to commit to a healthier lifestyle and I hope to be a good role model to my kids. Tonight after dinner the 4 of us took a long walk. It was WONDERFUL! Madeline sang made up princess songs as loud as she could the whole time and Tucker sat in the stroller giggling. Tyler has been working out too- in the wee hours of the morning before I even think about getting up. I am so proud of him too. I hope our kids see that we are making exercise a habit. And I hope I can stick with this in the summer heat! Our graduation will be a 5K on May 8th. Wish me luck!