Running On Heavy's First Blogiversary!!!

Today is such a special day!  A year ago today, I got up the nerve to tell my story of weight and fitness struggles to the world.  I made the conscious decision when I started Running On Heavy to not sugar-coat anything I shared and to put my embarrassments aside.  I thought perhaps my posts could be a beacon of positivity in a world that tells us that being heavy means we are lazy, sedentary, ineffective and hopeless. I like to think that my blog has succeeded in being that to all of it's readers.

What I have received in return as a result of putting myself out there has been immeasurable.  My little blog has taken me on an amazing journey and has brought me to an exciting new place in my life.  Thank you all for your continued support, words of encouragement, and for helping me to do what I love most.  I am forever grateful.

I look forward to many more adventure-filled years with you guys! 

Hugs to you all!
Valeka

Direction

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion" - Newton's First Law of Motion

"Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that." - Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking-Glass

This was my first week back to reestablishing my habits of healthy eating and consistent running.  I don't run right now as much as I "wog" (half walk and half jog) but at least I am making my body move.  I'm really not up to speed (no pun intended) but I know that is something that will come with time.  I fell off the wagon on my first day though - I had pizza for dinner.  I know better but I did it anyway and found myself thinking that it was okay because I had just run 3 miles.  The evil pattern had reared it's ugly head on my first day but I stayed strong and didn't give in to temptation the rest of the week.  In the past, I would never have given it a second thought and would have kept right on doing that even though it was counterproductive.  I think that is a sign of progress - a glimmer of hope.  So, YAY ME!!!  Hey, gotta celebrate the small victories because if you get enough of those, it means you are on the right path.  I am trying to be better about patting myself on the back when I do the good stuff and to not beat myself up when I mess up because, I'm human and I'm gonna mess up from time to time.  The key is to do more good stuff than not so good stuff.  Stay on the path.

One of my favorite running movies is Run Fat Boy Run.  It's a far cry from being Chariots of Fire but there's a theme in it that resonates with me - there is a difference between running toward something and running away or in the wrong direction (not all running is created equal).  There was a time in my life where I ran because I loved it and damn was it awesome (running in the right direction)!  I didn't run because I was overweight or because I was stressed.  I did it because it felt good.  When I started running a few years ago I did it because I needed to lose weight for my brother's wedding (running in the wrong direction - it was done to fit into a dress).  Once the wedding was over and bridesmaid dress was packed into the back of my closet, I relaxed and put some (fortunately not ALL) of the weight back on.  This time, my hope is that I can recapture the love I have for running AND lose weight.  I don't want it to be one or the other.  I need to run towards a healthy happy me rather than running from the weight that is holding me back.  I want to look at this from a more positive perspective.  Maybe being kinder and gentler to myself will help to keep the weight off this time.  I am the only one that can make that happen and I will do it one run at a time.    

Happy Trails,
Valeka