Before and After

This is me... last September getting ready to run my first race, the You Go Girl! Half Marathon and 10K.  I remember the excited anticipation as I prepared for the 6.2mi race.  I had no hopes of cheetah like speed or any gold medals finishes.  In fact, my only goal was to simply complete the race, to cross the finish line, to say I did it.  And how great it felt to actually run the entire course! To see the sights of Wright Park as I passed by on foot. To see my co-worker Jan standing in the doorway of an apartment building in the drizzling rain to cheer me on. To run along Thea Foss Waterway with the Finish Line in sight, mustering up the last little bit of energy I had to sprint to the end. It was exhilarating to cross that line amongst the cheers of the crowd and my fellow runners who had already completed it.  That was six months ago.  This is me now...

Can I just say? This look is not cute.  It is no longer working for me.  My pants are getting tight; okay, let's be real, are very tight, around my waist.  I'm having to wear longer blouses because I can't zip my skirts all the way up.  I have gotten lazy.  I talking, LAY-ZEEE!
So, I found a solution.  Two, actually. The first one is to help motivate me into some type of physical activity. 
I registered for another race.  This time, I'm taking it up a notch.  A half marathon.  Maybe someday, when I'm a big girl, I will run a full marathon, but for now it's going to be 13.1 miles (which, by the way, I feel is more than sufficient). So, come this June, the 23rd to be exact, you will find me at 7am lined up with the rest of the running masochists at the Seattle Center preparing for a grueling 2 1/2 hour run.  Come on Seattle Rock N Roll, bring it on!

For any of you who are into self torture, please, feel free to join me.  Registration is still open and all proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.  For those of you non runners, I know you  will be rooting for me in heart, if not by your physical presence on race day.
My second strategy is the Pierce County Match Up.  For those of you who haven't heard of it, there was a write up in the Tacoma Weekly.  You can also go to http://www.piercecountymatchup.com/
to read all details about the competition.
Myself along with four others are on a self named team, 'Drop It Like Its Hot' and are going for the grand prize of $10,000 for the greatest percentage of weight loss over a 12 week period.  The fact that I have four people counting on me and a run to train for is truly motivating.  So, I know its a long way until June 9th, (our weigh in day) but I'm ready to get this party started!  You may not recognize me at the end of June, this is what I envision for myself... a strong, lean, running machine!

  No more muffin top, time to drop it like its hot!