The finisher medals that I've gotten are hanging on the left side. All of my bibs are hanging on the right. In the middle is my battered old Penn State hat and my belt that I use to hold my phone and keys when I run. The top has various other doodads, like my watch and mp3 player...and for some reason a little ceramic bowl that one of the kids made is there too.
This shelf is in my bedroom (note the festive - and very stained - wallpaper) directly between my closet and bathroom doors. I see it many times each and every day, which is part of the reason why I put it there.
Although I haven't been doing it as much lately, I do enjoy running (sort of). It's hard, and it makes me hurt (mostly in a good way), and I grumble about doing it - but it's something that I never expected to be able to do and it's something that many people over the years told me that I couldn't do.
But I can do it. I'm not fast, and I'm never going to break any records, but I can do it.
I can do it.
And I'm going to keep doing it. And I'm going to do it more.
I've fought with my weight a lot over the years, and it's gone up and down within about a 40 pound range over the past 10 years or so. Without disclosing the actual number, I'll just say that right now I'm about 25 pounds over where I want to be.
My birthday is in about 2 1/2 months (*cough*72 days*cough*). I'll be 45.
While running with a group of friends this morning, I voiced something that has been bouncing around in my head for a few weeks now. And now I'm going to put it in writing.
I am going to lose 25 pounds before my birthday.
I'm doing it because I want to. I know where my ideal weight is, and it's actually a little beyond that 25 pounds. But getting rid of that first 25 is a good, realistic start. And
It's going to mean that I finally took control of my eating and exercise habits.
It's going to mean that I have proved to myself that there are better ways to deal with crappy days than eating myself stupid.
It's going to mean that I'm going to be healthier than I am now.
It's going to mean that I've forced myself to not hide in the house as soon as the weather turned cold.
It's going to mean that I was able to make a promise to myself and actually keep it.
And it's going to mean that I can tell myself I TOLD YOU SO.
If I was a hashtag person, I'd call it #25by45. But I'm not, so I won't.
But watch me, because I'm going to do this. And I'm going to rock it.