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Testimonials from a few 2008-20
The story of Susan from Maricopa 
In July of 2008, I received a phone call that would prove to be the catalyst in changing my life. My very good friend was thinking of raising money for Chances for Children, AZ, and running the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 marathon. She wanted someone to train with her and had thought of me. Now, why in the world she would ask her 245 pound very obese friend, I don't know!
We started with walking a 2 mile loop, gradually adding in some running here and there, and we were on our way. By the time Team Chances with Chances For Children started their 20 week training program, I was able to run 2 miles at a time. I was really nervous meeting the team the first time. Here I was a plus sized woman attempting to run 13.1 miles. What would they think? Would they laugh at me? Everyone was highly supportive, and soon started to make comments about how inspirational I was to them. Of course, they said this as they flew past me while running! As the weeks and months passed, I weighed less and less and was able to run more and more. I do not feel like I have accomplished a huge feat as I did not do it all at once. I took each day as it came, each workout as it came and it never overwhelmed me. It helped that I have some good friends to run and train with. Running with friends makes it easier to get up at 4am to get out the door run and make it back home in time to get the kids ready for school. I would love to encourage other plus sized people to attempt new things, even running a 1/2 marathon. I was afraid people would laugh, afraid my joints would not hold up under the pressure of my weight while running, afraid I would not be able to meet my goals. But, I worked through those fears, and now I am ready to run the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 marathon! I have lost 65 pounds, experienced pure joy when I was able to say I am only overweight, no longer obese, and am happy to say that my running journey has just begun. By the way, I had a woman I hardly know come up to me while I was working at Sara's dance recital to tell me how much she enjoyed hearing my story that night at the Chamber meeting...she said she was inspired. I still feel nervous about so many people knowing more about me, and am still not so sure I want to shout from the rooftops about my success. One of the good things about it is that the more people who know where I have come from, the more accountability I feel I have. Quite a few of my friends are looking to me to set a better example when we go out to eat (which can be strange at times). Today there was a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, and personally, I do not feel the taste of their pizza is worth the calories of eating it. So, I chose to eat right before and have a snack during the party. One of my friends called me ahead of time and asked me if I would sit by her so that she would not feel as self conscious about not eating the pizza. :) Have a good day, Susan in Maricopa View Susan's Profile Read other testimonals |