How One Woman Lost 119 Pounds And Transformed Her Body By Running
What prompted you to start?
I was significantly overweight, and I started working on losing weight by dieting and walking. I decided to try running when walking was no longer as much of a challenge, in order to get my heart rate up so I could continue to lose weight.
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How often do you run?
I typically run about four to five days per week.
What is your routine?
My weekday runs range from four to seven miles, and sometimes I mix in a tempo run, speedwork, or hill work. I also do one long run on the weekend.
Do you race? If so, how often, and what kind of races?
I have done 5-Ks, 10-Ks, 15-Ks, and half-marathons, but I learned I prefer the half-marathon distance. I am working toward adding a new distance to that list, as I am currently training for my first full marathon. In addition, I have also done a little bit of trail running.
Do you engage in other sports or activities? If so, what and how often?
I cross train by adding strength exercises and core work to my routine. I also mix it up occasionally and take a bike ride or go for a swim.
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What’s the most rewarding part of running for you?
The most rewarding part of running for me is the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it, and pushing myself beyond what l ever thought was possible. It has been rewarding to see a transformation in my body and to feel a transformation mentally and emotionally. My husband sporadically runs and he used to tell me that I should run, too. At the time, I was more than 100 pounds overweight, and that seemed like a ridiculous thing to say. I recall telling my husband back then that, “I will never run.” I laugh now because he rarely runs and I run all the time.
Please describe your weight loss journey, including your before and after weights.
When I started my weight loss journey, I was 269 pounds. Some coworkers of mine were doing an office version of the The Biggest Loser, and as an afterthought, I decided to do it too. It turned out that I was the only one who stuck with it beyond a few weeks. I started off by going for one to two walks per day and trying to watch what I ate. As I saw the pounds on the scale begin to drop, I became even stricter with my diet and cut out all of the unhealthy foods like fast food, sweets, and pizza that I normally loved to eat. I kept that up and was very strict with my diet for over a year, and I did not use any weight loss pills or have any weight loss surgery.
Now, I generally try to eat food that isn’t highly processed like fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meat, lean cheese, and whole grains. However, I allow myself to indulge more now than I did in the past two years, but I still try to stick to a calorie range based on my activity. When I run longer distances, my body needs more food—but not an entire pizza. I am 150 pounds now, and my personal goal is around 140 pounds, so I still have a little more work to do to hit that goal.
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What is the secret to your weight loss success?
The secret to my weight loss was learning that diet is 80 percent of losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. It is not possible to out-run my fork—I have tried!
How do you stay motivated?
To stay motivated, I sign up for races. They are a lot of fun, and working towards a goal helps to keep me motivated. Running and eating well have become a lifestyle for me. I am also a part of a running group called Mojo Running that is now like family to me, and being a part of the group inspires and motivates me to better myself.
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Do you have any favorite motivational quotes?
“Always earned, never given.”
“Medals are earned on your training runs… race day is when you go to pick them up.”
What are your current short and long term goals?
My short term goal is finishing the 2017 Flying Pig Marathon using 4:1 intervals, and my long term goal is to complete a half-marathon in under two hours.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
When I first started running and decided to sign up for my first half-marathon, I was completely on my own. I knew nothing about running, and at the time I really didn’t have any support. Running was something I was just doing on my own.
I assumed that people who race always run the entire thing, and I was getting frustrated because during my training runs I couldn’t seem to get past mile eight without walking. Then a friend told me about interval running and how it helped her run farther distances so I decided to try it. That seemed to help me push further, so I did my first half marathon using 3:1 run/walk intervals.
I was really proud of my accomplishment when I crossed that finish line until I mentioned to someone that I ran the race using an interval strategy and they said, “Well you really didn’t run the whole thing then.”
Their comment made me feel like I hadn’t really “earned” my finisher’s medal, and that even though I finished, it was less of an accomplishment because I walked. So I became obsessed with getting through any race without a walk break. I did eventually succeed at meeting my goal of not walking in a race, but with it came a lot of mental stress and physical injuries that started to take the joy out of running for a period of time. After stumbling upon the quotes I listed above as my favorite motivational quotes, it helped me feel better about where I was at as a runner, and finally realize that there isn’t any shame in walking. It has helped me to find joy again in running. When I finally made it through a half-marathon without walking, I felt equally proud.
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The article How One Woman Lost 119 Pounds and Transformed Her Body by Running originally appeared on Runner’s World.