I CAN do this!!!!

It has been 2 months since I posted. That is far too long. I apologize! I am still loving school. Maybe this makes me odd, but I really do love it. Especially clinicals. I get this stuff. It's so much fun. So, that's going good.

I got over my thyroid issue. They decided it was just thyroiditis, and it went away. Since then though, I have had a couple other things going on. Apparently I had/have free fluid in my pelvis that was causing me some pain. There is nothing that they can do about that, my body will absorb it. I also have a hormone imbalance, so they put me on some low dose birth control to try to correct it. I really feel like I'm falling apart at times.

Now, on to the title of this post...

I have always had major self-esteem issue. I am my biggest critic. I have always been very hard on myself on all fronts. Growing up, I was always bigger than everyone else, so I wasn't as good at doing things as the other kids. This is part of my issue with Zoe being the biggest in her class. So, I always told myself that it was okay to give up. I quit a lot of things! If it was hard, I would quit. Until recently...

I started my "diet", which has really been more of a lifestyle change, on June 18th, 2010. The 2 goals I set for myself were to lose 30lbs in 6 months and to run a 5K within a year. On August 8th, 2010, I found out about and started the Couch to 5K program. I remember the first day. All I had to do was to run 60 seconds then walk 90 seconds, and alternate for a total of 20 minutes. This was embarrassingly hard for me. I remember thinking, "oh my gosh. Am I really that bad off?" I really was. But, I was determined. For the first time in my life, I told myself, "I will NOT quit." Every single run was a struggle. But, I didn't quit. Within 10 weeks of my start date I had lost 20lbs. To date, I have lost 23lbs. Today I finished week 7 of the 9 week Couch to 5K program. I ran for 25 minutes straight 3 days this week. I will not lie, it was hard. I don't think there has been a day yet that I have not thought, "I could just quit. It would be so easy." This always happens about halfway through. I have finished EVERY SINGLE run/walk that I started since I started doing this. I did repeat week 5, but that is not giving up.

Long story short, I am unbelievably proud of myself. This is the best thing I have ever done for me! I am saving my life. Even though my original goal was to run a 5K within a year of June 18th, I am registered for my first 5K on November 7th, 2010. I'm also on track to have my weight loss goal happen earlier than planned. I feel great. I am so happy and still can't believe I am running.

I really love my life right now!!

Philippians 4:13
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."