By Barbara Roberson

I know that feeling of being 4 pounds away from a goal. I remember it like yesterday, sitting at the beginning of one of my many spinning classes and telling the instructor and classmates, “I just need to lose these last 4 pounds!” I was 204 pounds that the time, from an all time high of 250 pounds. I had been spinning for months and the weight loss was happening slowly. The instructor looked at me funny as I told her, “I know it sounds silly to all of you, but if I can lose these last 4 pounds then I’ll finally see 199 and then that means it is all in the bag! All downhill from there!” They looked at me smiling, sort of shaking their heads and that is when I realized I was with the wrong group! Not one word of encouragement or of advice, so that night I decided to make some changes. I reactivated my dormant Peertrainer account, switched from spinning 2 days a week and weight training 1 day a week, to the Couch to 5K program and weight training 2 days a week. I also refined the Weight Watchers program into my deluxe version in which I used Flex Points but only eating the daily points, used the weekly points as a safety net. I kept at it with the modest goal of running my first 5K in October 2007. I arrived at the race and was terrified but at the safe time felt so alive. I ran the whole thing with a grin from ear to ear! Folks must have thought I was crazy, but good golly it felt so great to be able to run again, and run in public! I had done it! I had ran the whole thing and my hubby and kids were at the finish line cheering me on! Then I signed up for another 5K to see if I can do it faster, did more weightlifting (these months concentrating on heavier weights, so I could get stronger, build more muscle and burn more calories). To my surprise, I did the Jingle Bell for Arthritis 5K even faster, then the New Year’s Resolution Run 5K also faster, and as I got more comfortable with my running, I found myself asking…what is next?

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