Our Journey

It is no secret that I am a fan of The Biggest Loser. I watched last season religiously, even having a "girlfriend night" with Kim on occasion to watch it on Tuesday nights. Some criticize the extreme weight losses each week. For me, I just relate with the people on the show, even if it's on a smaller scale. No pun intended.

However, it was the season before last, in the fall of 2009, that I found great inspiration. I think it's because I had only watched occasionally before that, and it was the first time that I consistently viewed the show. And on a November evening, I remember sitting in my living room in tears as the final contestants ran a marathon. I just couldn't believe that an overweight person could drive themself to the point of finishing something that required such physical endurance.

I distinctly remember texting Kim. "Are you watching them run?"

"Yes," she responded. "I'm crying."

With understanding I replied, "Me, too."

That episode set the wheels in motion for Kim and I to get started on our journey. I asked her if she wanted to use the "Couch to 5K" program and attempt to run a 5K with me in June. I had walked the Race for the Cure in St. Louis two years prior, and I had actually considered running it someday. We felt that even though the program was set for 9 weeks, we'd better give ourselves plenty of time to prepare!

We set a date. We agreed to the first Monday in January. So on January 4, 2010, we met at 6:00 am on our street. Our porch lights were our indicators. We knew that when the porch light was on, the other one was ready to go!

Some mornings were HORRIBLE. And I don't mean the running...I mean the weather. There were times when we ran in single digit temperatures. There were times when we ran as sleet came down on us. There were times when we got going and then it started raining. But we kept going.

And I'm glad we did.

A few weeks ago we somehow got on the topic of our original thoughts on all of this. It's interesting that both of us were unsure if we would really stay dedicated or not. Somewhere inside of me I wondered if I could #1 actually do it and #2 stay driven enough to get up at 6:00 am each day when I didn't have to! Kim felt the same way.

I know, without a doubt, that this is our theme verse:

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

The truth is, I couldn't do it alone. And neither could Kim. We needed each other, and together, we accomplished something great. It was an amazing journey for us, and we plan to continue our journey.











Thanks for your commitment to this, Kim. But most of all, thank you for your friendship. Our talks are always a bright spot in my day!