Documentary: From Fat To Finish Line

I’ve been reading Katie’s blog (Runs For Cookies) for quite some time now.  She and one of her readers, Rik, put together a team of 12 people who have all lost weight through running.  The team signed up to run the Rangar Relay in Key West, FL.  A documentary crew picked up their story and filmed this race which is now available to watch through iTunes and Amazon. 

 

The tagline from the movie: “12 strangers, 1200 pounds lost, and a 200 mile race that makes testing their limits a team sport.”

I watched the documentary over the weekend and really enjoyed it.  Honestly, I wanted to see more of Katie since I feel like I have come to know her well through reading her blog.  It was a wonderful story that left me with mixed emotions.

I felt very giddy with excitement to hear each runner talk about their weight loss success story.  I remember that energizing feeling of seeing the weight come off and realizing how much it had been holding me back.  I remember how wonderful it felt once I had reached my goal weight and how much more active I had become. 

Hearing Rik say they won’t be gaining his weight back made me sad.  I said that many times during my weight loss journey and maintenance journey.  I was sure I had the proper tools to help me when things go tough.  Instead of reaching into that tool box, I pretty much just gave up.  It makes me so mad to think about all the excess weight I put back on.

Watching the runners tackle such an amazing accomplishment as running a relay race amongst the humidity of Florida made me feel encouraged.  It gave me that energy I needed to push harder at doing what I need to do to be successful in losing my weight re-gain.

Yesterday I needed to get in some activity before I stayed up all night on my day off.  I decided to take a walk in a nearby park hoping being in the open area would allow me to take advantage of the breeze.  It was 90 degrees and full sun.  The park has some sidewalks that are perfect for walking and even has one loop that tracks your mileage for you.  I did one full loop (downhill to start and uphill to return) telling myself to push harder and dig deeper.  Once I made it to the top I had not quite gone a full mile and hadn’t yet finished my planned 30 minutes so I went on another part of the loop (downhill and then back uphill).  I got back to the starting point logging 1.6 miles and averaging a 17:13 pace.  I was hot, sweaty, and had a bit of a headache from the heat and lack of hydration.  But…I did it!  I pushed myself and didn’t quit despite wanting to once I reach the starting point after that first loop.

 

It is times like this that will help me reach my goals.  I need to push harder.  I need to dig deep and stay focused.  I did my grocery shopping in the wee hours of the morning so I could get my food prep done before I started back at work today.  I spotted the Fall Variety Pack of beer put out by Sam Adams.  I love their Oktoberfest and three of the other beers sounded really yummy. 

 

I spent some of my points/calories on a beer.  It was points well spent as it was quite tasty.