The Connection Runners

Being fat prepared me for a marathon

Ok,totally suckered you in with that title. I probably should have titled it:

"How losing weight has prepared me for marathon training"

Sure... .being 127 pounds lighter will make it significantly easier to run a marathon. Or maybe I should say.."makes it actually possible", but beyond the physical aspects, there is a myriad of mental ones.

First and foremost if of course the confidence one. HELLO, I have lost 127 pounds. I have conquered obesity, whats a measly marathon compared to that?!

All kidding aside, my journey to healthy living HAS taught me how strong and capable I really am. I've learned I'm challenge and goal oriented, I love proving to MYSELF that I can accomplish amazing things.

One of the most important tools in my weight loss success was goal setting, specifically SMALL goals. While I knew I wanted to lose 100+ pounds, that amount as a whole was daunting. So I learned to set small goals. Sure, losing "x" number of pounds a week may have been a goal but I took it beyond that.

I learned to take it day by day. I would wake up and THAT day was THE day to be healthy. And if I struggled during that day I would break it down even further. I would take it one meal or one bite or one walk at a time. Each one of those was a fresh opportunity for me to be healthy.

And all those little choices added up to amazing things. They saved my life.

So, what does this have to do with running a marathon?

Well, it would be easy to get overwhelmed with the idea of running 26.2 miles. Yeah... that's a long way.

BUT the really cool thing is I don't even have to worry about that. Nope, I just have to take it one day at a time. The great thing about having a training plan is it will tell me each day what I should do. I don't have to look ahead to the end, or even to next week. I only have to focus on this day.

And if I struggle with a run, I don't have to stress about the entire distance.

I just have to take it

one

step

at

a

time.

As you can see from my header one of my favorite quotes is, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step." It sums up my weight loss journey and I'll now be using that quote through marathon training.

I've found this philosophy applies to any daunting task I face. Broken into single steps, anything is possible.(I'm living proof!)

What steps will you take to achieve great things?


Do you like to look at the big picture, or set small goals?