Random things

I was asked Tuesday to speak to a beginner's running group Saturday. The group is a From Couch to 5K. Most of them have never run more then a mile. The group leaders are people I have known for years. We all grew up in the same community and went to the same high school. They thought I would be perfect to inspire a group of new runners with my running and weight loss story. I hope my story can inspire them and keep them running.

I was asked this week by a woman I know if I have been losing weight. I answered yes and that I have lost almost 75 pounds (I have lost 74.5 pounds officially). She asked how I did it and I told her running 50 miles and portion control. She said I looked great then said "I was now too skinny." I just smiled. That is a first. Someone telling me I'm too skinny. It was only 9 months ago I was in the obese category of the Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator. Now I'm in the normal weight category and that is where I plan to stay for a long time.

I have another vacation coming up next week. Usually my husband and I go somewhere during the week of our wedding anniversary. We went on our vacation back in August, so next week is just a chance for me to relax at home. I don't know what my husband has planned for our ninth wedding anniversary. It could be big or not.

Besides our anniversary, I have a couple of things I want to do on my week off: photograph some dance classes and go to a high school and college cross country invitationals. The dance studio where I've been taking photos at for years started class this week. I decided to wait a week so they can get into the swing of their classes. The high school cross country meet is a conference invitational at one of the local parks in town. The college cross country invitational is at Michigan State in East Lansing. It is the Spartan Invitational and the University of Michigan men's and women's teams will be running in it. I thought since I'm on vacation and it is not that far away, why not go? I'm excited to see Michigan run against some good competition. I will also be happy to see some of the MSU runners as well. What will make me the most happy is seeing great runners. I love cross country!