Hello.

Hi, my name is Amanda and I am obese.

Obese. Such an ugly word. But I chose it on purpose. It makes me uncomfortable. There is no postive association with the word. I no longer want this label. So out it goes.

I stepped on the scale this morning and the number made me sick.

210

In my best WWF voice (and in my head because talking out loud to yourself is just crazy) I yelled, "YOU ARE GOING DOOOOOOOOWWWWNNN!!!!!"

My awesome friend, W, has invited me to be a part of her Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay team in June. Perfect. I can use this as my kickstart to greatness. You see, it includes all the things that motivate me:

1) Peer pressure. I don't want to let W down. Not that she would ever, ever, ever pass judgement. It's just that she's kind of a hero of mine. I've followed her journey as a runner and she inspires me. (W, if you're reading this, I totally blog stalked you for, like, a year and a half. I hope you're not too creeped out and we can still be friends).

2) Cool stuff. I want that cool Ragnar sticker to put on my car window as a status symbol. Call me shallow. Actually, don't. This is my journey, so shut it.

3) I had to fork over $124. As God as my witness, I cannot throw that kind of money away. I am committed. There is no way I am backing out. I will get my money's worth and complete this race or die trying. Which brings me to my next motivator:

4) I don't want to die. Since I'm not backing out, I've got to train for this baby. Really train. I've done 5ks, 10ks, and even an accidental 13k. However, you know you're not a serious runner when you have to open your jacket and flash your race bib to fellow runners who ask, "Uhh. . .are you guys in this race?" Just because my sister and I were stopping to take awesome posed pictures. . .of us running.

The truth is, I typically don't run for extended periods unless I am being chased. And that just really doesn't happen often. Or at all. Hence the fact I'm in horrible shape right now.


And that leads me to why I've started this blog.

I need a forum to log my training, chart my progress, whine, complain, and shout from the rooftops when I only eat one chocolate chip cookie instead of six. Because this is not about giving up the things I love. It's about making better choices. And if you want to follow along and cheer me on or tell me to stop whining and take the dog for a walk, consider yourself invited.

So, here I go. . .