The first group race is behind us! Last Saturday, Team Start Healthy competed in our first group race in the Color Vibe Race. We had a blast coming together, having fun, while covering each in color. It was a just another reminder that I am getting closer to the Sioux Falls Half Marathon.

I am less than 18 days from the half marathon and I am starting to get nervous. Over the last month, I have been focused on the race and making choices that will help me cross the finish line.

To start, I hired a personal trainer to help me push my body to do more and have the endurance to run the distance. There is an unexplainable satisfaction that comes with working with a trainer. I appreciate what they do. It is a combination of personal therapy and coaching for me. I can go to training not in the best mood, I can be distracted and frustrated and walk away with clarity and peace. My trainer pushes me to lift one rep, or run faster. He is that audible voice that I hear in my head. During those moments when I want to quit or stop—he is there encouraging me to push through.

This sounds ridiculous, but I have learned so much about my own life from my experiences at the gym. I could quit right now. I could say that this whole experience isn’t worth it. That I could be doing something else, but I am happy. I am happy when I run, or when I have finished a work out. No, I am not seeing results immediately. I don’t have the six-pack that I dream of. But I am BETTER! I am better than I was yesterday. I am no longer 300 pounds, nervous, or self-conscious like I used to be. I still have a ways to go, but I am SO MUCH better than I used to be.

I have to work to be better. I have been told that I am lucky. Luck has nothing to do with where I am in my goals. I have had to own my decision to be healthy every day. There are days when I really want to cheat. There are days when I do cheat—I eat things that are not good for me. I immediately regret it, because I can feel what those choices do to my body.

My life may be more disciplined and regimented, but I have never felt better. I want to see how I can push the limits of my own body in an effort to become a better, stronger and healthier person.

Until next week!

Start Healthy my friends!