Submitted by: Val Davies
I had decided to quit smoking December 18th 2008 and replaced smoking with eating, the following year in the springtime I had gained 30lbs and knew this had to stop. I joined the Learn to Run at the Running Room which was a great program and I met many great people, two of them I have built great friendships with. Our Learn to Run group had a goal race of the Royal Lepage Women's Run 2009, I had caught the running bug from that point on.
The following year I needed a new goal which was my first 10 miles Road Race, I joined the Fresh Air 10 mile Training group and away I went, what a great group to join, the atmosphere of all the other runners is inspirational. I ran my first Half Marathon Miles with the Giant in 2010 and what a rush 13.1 miles, since that day I have ran it each year this past Sept 2012 being the run of my life. I had made many changes in my life to better my health starting in June of 2012. I had finished my first marathon in February 2012 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and after that I took a vacation from running, but continued to eat as if I was training, it soon caught up. It came to a head when I would be walking up my basement stairs and noticed I was feeling short of breath.
The first life changing choice I made was to see a trainer named Dan Drewak recommended to me by my friend Kathy. It was the best decision I have made to date. This man has saved my life in ways that I will never forget, he is motivational and really focused on your personal goals in life, he individualizes his workouts which are never boring, and I have never done the same workout twice. I continue to see him twice a week and have gained a great friend.
The second life changing choice was joining Weight Watchers in July 2012, joining two of my friends that were already going and had had great results. I had some horrible eating habits, you've heard the saying "I can eat anything because I run" this is not true. I joined weight watchers at a weight of 169lbs and as of February I weigh 130lbs. I attend the meetings every week, which provide the support to stay on track, I would recommend this program to anyone.
This past winter I trained to run the Goofy Challenge at Disney World in Florida, I ran it in January which included a Half Marathon on the Saturday and a Full Marathon the next day. It was amazing; I had a fantastic run both days and plan to run it again in 5 years....anyone interested?
Although it may sound like it has always gone in my favor, this is not true. I had trained for my first marathon planning to run the Manitoba Marathon in 2010, I trained, ran 24.5 miles and they picked me up. I never finished which I won't go into details about but I was devastated, to this day it has influenced me in many ways, which I believe has made me a more humbled runner. If you experience failure keep your head held high and carry one, treasure the experience but don't let it deter you.
I am the Vice President of the Thunder Bay Metre Eaters and enjoy the excitement of runners that are excited about running. It is never about the total miles for me, 1 mile, 3 miles, 10 miles, 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles you should be proud of every step, don't be intimidated by other peoples mileage or speed, be proud of your accomplishments. I love to hear about everyone's running goals, plans or thoughts. You can find me on Thursday nights at Fresh Air leading the 5:1 group, this group is inspirational to me, they are happy to be out there. I read a quote recently "Run with your Heart" and see you out there.
