Sacrifice {Five Month Update}

Month One || Month Two || Three Month || MonthFour 

Holy moly! Could it be? Five months in?? In some ways, the time has flown, in others, it’s gone so slowly. This month is all about sacrifice and what it means to make health a priority. As a part-time working mom with a crazy schedule, it can be difficult to get everything done in the day that I would like to. But I realized early on that if I was going to make progress, I had to make sacrifices. In December, I signed up for a half-marathon knowing that I’d have to follow a training plan. So for the months that followed, a running schedule became part of my life.

Sometimes, this meant waking up insanely early, like 4 a.m., to fit runs in. Or after a long day of work and motherhood duties, I’d have to find the time to jump on the treadmill or fit a cross-training circuit in. Some days, I was exhausted or sick or tired. Others, the kids weren’t cooperative. But I slowly began to find that sometimes it was saying no to some things, so I could say yes to myself. To say yes to my health.

Not everyone will understand this section of your life and you can’t expect them to. In large part, people didn’t even know I was training, so in some ways, it was like living on an exercise island. But when you make a change for yourself, for your health, and to change your life, the sacrifice of other things is so worth it.

This month, my update will be about accomplishment. I set out to do what I wanted to and finished my first ever half-marathon. So here’s a quick rundown of how that went:

Before the starting line: What have I done? Why did I do this? Whose idea was this? Maybe I’ll wait in the car. Oh, look at that person, they look cute! Ugh, why did I wear this? Is it freezing? Am I delirious? Oh wait, just delusional. HEY! See people from high school! Oh phew, they think I can do it. Okay, now I have to do it.

Mile 1: Time to start! Begin running. Think of having to run all the way to Archer. See police. Pass the street with the hospital, okay, this isn’t bad!

Mile 2: This is a nice neighborhood. Look at the cool sign! Stop and take pictures of  the mile markers as a memory. Ask a bicyclist to borrow their bike.

Mile 3: What the heck? There’s a hill? Over LaGrange Road? Eh gash. Climb to hill and head to Swallow Cliff.

Mile 4: Ooooh look! I could turn-around at the 10k spot at Swallow Cliff. That’s easy! I could run another three miles…right? Right. Decide I should probably just finish the half. If that’s possible. Oh wait, there’s Julie & Danielle! See “Run Mommy Run” in chalk on the ground. Start crying, see my mom and dad and boys holding signs! Crying again. Mom says, “WHAT? You’re crying? Why are you crying?!” Grab a drink and keep going.

Mile 5: Wow, what was I thinking? Not even half-way done? I won’t survive this. Oh, hi, Leslie & Scott! Waves, hugs, and keep moving. This is hard. Sweat everywhere. Must. keep. moving.

Mile 6: Okay, almost halfway there. This is easy. I can do this! Then I just have to come back. Oh wait, I have to get all the way back to Lake Katherine? On my legs. I cannot.  Just leave me here.

Mile 7: Oh hi again, Julie and Danielle! Get “Code Blue” energy chews and feel like being taken to the hospital. Guys, why did I do this?! SIX MORE TO GO?! This was insane. Poor decision making.

Mile 8: Play around with iPod songs, update Facebook and Instagram. Think about how there are just trees everywhere. Will someone hear me screaming? What if I pass out here? Find another person with a bicycle, ask again for a ride.

Mile 9: What’s that I hear? The Eye of the Tiger song. Get pumped. Pretend to be Rocky Balboa. Oh wait, I’m just me and I don’t eat raw eggs for breakfast. And the thought of running up stairs is horrendous. What’s that in the distance? A mirage?  It’s my BROTHER! Collapse into him. Tell him I’m not running again. Tells me to start running. Ugh, I CANNOT! YAY! There’s my parents, the boys, Ethan and Julie & Danielle again. 

Mile 10: Pass by Swallow Cliff again. UGH! There’s that LaGrange hill again – this is torture! Jim says he’s waiting at Mile 11. Can’t he just come carry me? Everything is burning. Everywhere.

Mile 11: Jim!!! A banana, water, and crappy fruit and nut bar. Lose half the banana. Am not convinced I can run anymore. See my family again! HI! I can do it…right? I mean, I have to at this point.

Mile 12: Literally just have to get through the intersection before they reopen the street. Okay, let’s run, we got this. Wait, there’s the hospital again. Just drive me there. My leg is broken. My hamstring is locking up. My side hurts. Is this heaven? More like hell.

Mile 13: There’s the finish line! I can see it. I can’t get there. Someone HELP! Jim leaves to let me do it on my own. See my boss! Hi, Peter! See family again, everyone’s screaming. I want to scream. Start crying. Finished.

By the Numbers:

Since April 9th: 6 lbs

Since December 9th: 41 lbs

Overall: 60 lbs

I can hold a plank for one minute now and a wall-sit for 1 min 30 seconds.

The “after” picture this month is a picture of me wearing a skirt suit that I haven’t been able to wear since LAW SCHOOL!

So this month, I’m celebrating doing something I never thought I’d do. I’m a half-marathoner. And while a big weight loss this month would have been nice, I’m focusing on the fact that I finished what I started and what I set out to do.  Headed into the half year mark and after a week “off,” I’m back to the grind.

Celebrate the little victories in life. They help set you up for the bigger battles.