305 lbs. From Commit to Get Fit to Couch to 5K

The Commit to Get Fit program was finished the first week of April.  After that, I signed up for more exercise classes.  I was going to the gym five days a week for classes and trying to figure out what my next course of action would be.

One day, I picked up a flyer from the front desk of the community center.  It was advertising a Couch to 5K program that started in the middle of June.  I contemplated and stewed over whether or not I could do it.  I had never been a runner–probably a lot of that was to do with my severe pronation and never having the right shoes.  The one thing I hated the most in P.E class was track and field.  The only thing I hated more than running were the hurdles or anything else that involved jumping.

I tried to get a few people to sign up for the Couch to 5K program with me, but no one was interested.  I decided to go ahead and give it a go.  After all, it was only $20.  If I failed or dropped out, I wouldn’t be out much.  If it weren’t for Cole convincing me that I could do anything I put my mind to, I would’ve never even signed up for it.

I convinced myself to sign up for one reason, and one reason only–the dreaded turkey neck.  That’s right, pure vanity!  Due to my sheer size, I had a double chin for quite some time.  As I lost weight, I could see that it was slowly turning into the turkey neck.  One look at the women in my family, and I could see that it was inevitble.  I had noticed many years prior, and for some reason it had stuck in my mind, that runners have great necks.  I didn’t know one runner (and I mean a seasoned, dedicated runner) that was overweight, had a big belly, or a turkey neck.

Bottom line was, I needed a reason to give this a shot.  It was a 15 week program with a 5K at the end.  If vanity was what it took, I was willing to use it.  For the first time in my life I was starting to care about me.  For the first time in my life I was starting to take care of myself the way I should–not just skin deep, but through and through to the core.

By Lori Camper