A Better Version of Me

I've been writing this post in my head for about six months. Ever since the day I decided to run the Chicago Marathon. Or maybe I was writing it even before that. I guess most people would wait to write about their experience AFTER finishing the race, but I already know what I want to say. I am nervous, scared, excited and anxious about tomorrow, but I even if I never cross the finish line on Sunday, I am a winner.

Some of you are old friends who have known me for years. Others, I have met more recently. For those, I will share a little background. 

I was a cheerleader in high school, played one year of softball and never exercised outside of that. Well, I guess I swam occasionally, but that was just for fun. In college, I took tennis (and made the only "C" I ever got at ECU!) and took a few toning classes at the on-campus gym, but that was about it. After college and after I had my children, my weight really got out of hand. 

Me at our Going-Away
Party in Raleigh, December 2009.

I had a family that loved me, a successful career and didn't really worry about my weight. I would sign up for Weight Watchers and do it successfully for a while and then quit. I wasn't happy with the way I looked, but my children were babies and life was busy...it was too hard to find time to do anything about it. 

Before our move to Mt. Airy, I went for an annual physical and my bloodwork showed that I was pre-diabetic. When I was 26, my father died from complications due to a lifetime battling the disease and I was, for the first time, shaken. My doctor said that if I could lose 20 pounds, that would be enough to turn things around. 


After we moved, I had an entirely new life to adjust to. Other than my time at ECU, I had never lived in a place with no family nearby. I had given up my 15-year career in economic development:  one day, I was traveling around the country recruiting medical device companies to the Triangle or speaking to 500 people at the Raleigh Convention Center as the president of Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women and a few months later, I was sitting in a new town vacuuming behind the sofa for the third time that week because I wasn't sure what to do with myself anymore. My identity was shattered. 

Don't get me wrong. Our move to Mt. Airy was a decision Todd and I made together and it is probably one of the best ones we've ever made. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. I was not always a nice person as I tried to figure out who I was going to be in this next phase of my life. 

I'm not exactly sure how running became the answer or when I even realized what the question was. One day I decided to download the Couch25K app, lace up my tennis shoes and walk out the door. I didn't have any goals; I just did what the voice in my earbud told me to do. That first day, I was supposed to run for 30 seconds and I could barely do it. I couldn't run one block. Not one. Some mornings I would cry when I ran, some mornings I would yell, some days I would pray...and then one day, I felt happy...and strong. Over the next several months, two things happened. I began to figure out who I was again and I also figured out that I wanted to be a better version of that person. 

I lost 50 pounds and 5 dress sizes. I went from not being able to run for 30 seconds to running 5 miles 3 days a week and completing my first half-marathon. More importantly, I became a better wife and a better mother. One day, Todd commented that running had turned me into a "better version of me." I think that pretty much sums it up. 

So...as you are reading this, I am heading out to run my first marathon. 26.2 miles. My only goal is to finish, but finishing will just be the icing on the cake. 

Peace

Todd, the kids and I had the opportunity to spend the past week at Emerald Isle for our family vacation. We were very fortunate to have great weather all week and the July 4th crowds weren't as bad as we had anticipated. We had lots of fun swimming, skim boarding, watching fireworks on the beach, eating seafood and spending time together. 

Headed to the beach!

While we had a great time and enjoyed our week at the beach, I couldn't wait to get home and see the mountains. For some folks, the ocean is what brings them peace. For me, it is the mountains. It was another rainy day here in Mount Airy, but we jumped in the car anyway and headed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

North Main Street in Mount Airy turns into
Orchard Gap Road which takes you right up to the BRP. 

We saw some wild turkeys and a young buck on our way up to Mabry Mill for a late lunch. I wish I had been quick enough to snap a picture of him. His antlers were small and still fuzzy, but he was awfully handsome. 

Mabry Mill

Eating at Mabry Mill has been on our to-do list since moving up here and we were not disappointed. There were lots of good things on the menu, but they serve breakfast all day so that is what we ordered. There is usually a pretty substantial wait at the restaurant. They can only seat about 50 people at a time, but being patient is worth every minute. Today, they had the windows open so we were able to feel the cool mountain air and hear the rain. It was just like eating on your grandmother's screened porch. 

Todd and Anna Kate being silly while waiting for our food.
This photo makes my heart happy :-)

Todd and the kids ordered buttermilk pancakes, bacon, grits, biscuits & gravy, and hashbrowns. I went with a recommendation from the waitress and ordered the sweet potato pancakes. They were so yummy. I tried as hard as I could to eat all three of them, but gave up after one and a half...they were HUGE! 

Me and my sweet boy

On our way home, we saw a mama deer with her spotted fawn running in the field beside Groundhog Mountain. (I know you think I make this fairy-tale-stuff up, but, I promise, we really saw them!) It was rainy and foggy which made everything even more beautiful to me. 

Groundhog Mountain in the fog.
I wish the photo did it justice. 

Being so close to the mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway is something I hope I never begin to take for granted. I know which roads around town to take when I'm running errands so that I can catch the best view of the mountains in the distance. Todd and I both will take off for the parkway in a moment's notice just to drive through the dark tunnels of trees and rhododendron. 

Looking down on Mount Airy from one 
of the switchbacks at the top of Orchard Gap Road

Where do you go to tune out the noise of daily life? The beach? The mountains? Your backyard? A nearby river or lake? We all need a place where we can just be still. If you don't have such a place, I'll be glad to let you borrow mine.