Fast forward to 2012.  After being pretty depressed about the “missing decade” and what seemed like failure upon loss upon failure, I decided it was time to snap out of it.  I had plumped out to about 160lbs.  That is not healthy for a 5’2″ woman. (I was also a closet smoker!) On my 41st birthday, I decided to try an Isagenix 9 Day Fat Burning Cleanse.  Within a few months, I had so much success with building a coaching business and getting down to a size 4!!! My life truly began transforming. (warning: shameless Isagenix plug below)

I had the mental clarity to start running again soon after that first cleanse and to quit the demon tobacco addiction.  I was huffing and puffing during that first run and could not even complete a mile.  At some point during all that drama, I met my husband.  Yes, on FB.  That’s another blog post altogether.  He was living in DC and I, in NY.  We would AIM every day (I know) and see each other every few weeks.  I loved my visits to DC.  We started running together.  One day, I randomly ran 6 miles on the treadmill in his apartment gym.  That soon turned into a 6 mile outdoor run through the National Mall.  That fall, I ran the inaugural MCM 5K bRUNch and B ran the 10K!  Our first experience with the Marine Corps Marathon as an organization was outstanding. Class Act.  We would most definitely make it back!

That weekend also happened to be when Hurricane Sandy hit…devastating much of the NY and NJ coastlines.  I was trapped in DC, but secretly happy that I could stay a few days longer with B.  Things were indescribably bad in NY, so much so, that the NYC Marathon was cancelled.
The trip back was horrid, a bus to a train to another bus and a mile walk in the rain/ice pellets with suitcases in tow.  The energy was incredibly thrashed, gray, depressed.  NJ and NY had taken a beating.  I was grateful that I had not lost power in my home.  Somehow, I found a NYC virtual marathon and half marathon to help raise funds for Hurricane Sandy victims.

Clearly, I still had no idea how this long distance running thing actually worked.  I just thought if I wanted to run a certain distance, I would go out and just do it.  

So I mapped out 13.1 miles and pretty much killed myself.  I timed myself around 3 hours.  It was brutal, as my longest run to date had only been 6 miles.  But I was pretty damn proud of myself.

Sunnier days were soon ahead, but I had no idea how soon.  Within a few months, I got a job as a Sales Director of the then largest fitness company in the DMV and packed my bags and boxes and shacked up with B.  We were both still in emotional recovery from divorces and in near financial ruins when we met, so ya, in hindsight, it was probably the most irrational thing to do ever.  We probably were desperately lonely and afraid, but we had each other and we had this running thing.  We both have children from previous marriages (5 total rug rats) and we left them with their other bio parents.  (Mine temporarily as I settled into a new area.)  Our plan was to rebuild our foundation, much like the victims of Hurricane Sandy, so that we could create a strong, stable home once again for our new blended family.

Oftentimes, good choices don’t necessarily reap immediate rewards.  There is a period of sacrifice and learning before progress is made.  As we say in the fitness world,  “No pain, no gain!”