And so it begins

So here I am for all the world to see. I've been ~60 pounds overweight, for, well, just about ever. I can't remember ever being thin, probably because I never was. I wasn't brought up in a very healthy lifestyle (though I do not fault my mother), and now that I'm out on my own, I haven't made any lasting changes. Last summer I lost 20 pounds through eating right and exercising, but once I got busy, I neglected myself. I now find my 5'6" self at a whopping 222 pounds. That's crazy! I'm only 20 years old, and in my opinion, I shouldn't have to be restricted in my life choices because of my size. So I'm putting my foot down (one after another) and making the changes myself. There's no one else to make them, after all.

So yeah, I tried the couch to 5k program, and while it's great and all (I made it to week 7/9), I didn't like its structure. I ended up adapting it to my needs, which turned out to be great; after I made the necessary alternations, I was able to complete the newly renovated program and consistently ran 20-30 minutes 4 or 5 days a week. Sadly, I didn't enter a road race while the weather was favorable. Even more saddening is that once my semester got to be too hectic, I really began to neglect my running. And by 'neglect' I mean to say that I abandoned it. My poor running shoes, how sad and lonely they must have felt. Anyway, I've started running again, I'm gradually making changes to my eating habits, and my goal for the month of December is to lose 8 pounds and to be able to run 1.5 miles at a time. That would bring me down to 214 and halfway to the running abilities that I had this past summer. Let's see how that goes!

As for the name of the blog, it's a play on a Steve Prefontaine quote: "A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." Hopefully, I'll be able to show that yes, I've got what it takes, I'm willing to push myself and challenge myself, and I will achieve my goals. Also, at 222 pounds, I clearly have a gut ;)