Just ran around Lake Hefner!! Thank you Dr. B!!!

Hey remember me?  For the newer folks, I am the same 350 lb girl who thought she would never get her surgery date.  I started the process in Jan 2008 and didn't get my sleeve until July 2nd.  I had every roadblock you can imagine.  Had knee surgery, then failed the heart stress test and had to have a heart cath because it looked like blockage, etc.

Fast forward...today I just finished running (RUNNING people!) around Lake Hefner.  We are talking moving my body at a speed of 14 minutes a mile around 9.5 miles total with no walking or stopping!

I get "the nod" all the time from the athletic people.  You know that nod that says I'm one of them.  Its so weird because I never would have even imagined myself biking, running, belonging to a gym and all this stuff.  I never even did that when I was young before I gained all the weight.

Well, I just had to share in case there are people like me that surfed this site looking for reassurance that they were doing the right thing.  I wish I could have done this 15 years ago.  It has so changed my life. I love it!!!

On April 25th I will be running a half marathon! Yep, me the once 350 lb girl.  And the 2nd week in June I will be biking across the entire state of Oklahoma in one week.  Biking 70 miles a day from Hugo to Joplin.

Life is good.  -Amy

WOW!!!

You are such an inspiration to so many of us.   We are all so PROUD of you!!!!!!   How did you start your program for running?   I'm ready for some "small" steps to the future and curious, did you start by walking?   how did you progress?

Cathy

Thanks Cathy!  I was a bad WW patient and didn't start exercising until January 09.  I posted on this board asking everyone to hold me accountable to start going to the gym in the morning at 5:30.  I started with that and walking on a treadmill.  Then I picked up biking in March and started biking quite bit in addition to the working out.

  I worked out for 6 months before attempting to jog.  I could jog for all of 20 seconds at a time at first.  I just kept playing around with it until I could jog for a full minute.  I would walk 5 minutes and jog for 1 minute.  In October of last year I did my first 5K and jogged the whole thing.  It takes patience and small steps at a time.

 Amy, You are absolutely fantastic and an inspiration to all of us.  Are you running the OKC Memorial Run in April?  I can't run yet but I will be marshalling and may get to see you.

donna

Hey Donna!  Yes, I am doing the Run to Remember.  As a survivor of the bombing I was able to work the finish line last year and it inspired me to actually begin running and do it myself.  I am speaking at the pasta party the night before if you end up going to that.

 Woah! you are truly amazing!

Thanks! :)  Oh and I think caffiene might be a new transfer addition for me! LOL

that is awesome! great job!!!
me and the boy did a walk around lake draper today. we madde it more then halfway around walking. like 15 miles we did. insane!

good luck on your marathons and stuff!!
<3

15 miles!!!  That is insane!! LOL!  But so awesome that you can do that now!

Good for you. Did you have any knee, ankle, or hip issues at your previous weight? Any other exercising issues to work through?

Thanks, Lois