My first marathon

The Honolulu Marathon.  My first marathon has been ran & wow, what an experience!  This was a big deal for me.  Almost one year I trained for this race.  I have to say that it was

Right after crossing the finish line

worth every minute.  

I had four goals for this event. They were to:

• Finish
• Go slow & steady
• Have fun
• Leave everything on the course 

That's exactly what I did & it felt great!  

I won't lie, it was really hard.  From what I saw everyone suffers during the marathon.  I suffered.  After a certain point my body ached all over and I felt like it would never, ever ever end.  But I knew there was an end to it and there was!  My body, though it ached, carried me across the finish line.  Not just that but it even responded when I asked it to push past the pain to sprint through the finish.  Totally amazing what we can do when we want it enough!

The entire experience changes you, and as time goes on I'm sure I'll learn more about this.  For now, these are my thoughts...

• Reaching such a goal transfers to the rest of your life.  You learn patience.  You learn to endurance & not just physical.  Dedication.  Pushing past pain, both physical & mental.  Delayed gratification.  The list goes on...
• You're not alone.  When you do something like a marathon, everyone - everyone around you is working toward the same goal.  Everyone is suffering.  There's a raw, human realness there.  You're all experiencing the same thing & that makes you see people in a little different way.  It's nice.
• There's a plan for you that you might not understand.  Stay true & it'll be worth it.  I wanted my first marathon to be the Space Coast in FL (a doable drive from where we lived).  Didn't happen.  Then I choose San Diego, close to where we moved.  Didn't happen.  I was so sad.  But God had planned for my first marathon to be in paradise.  What a gift! 
• This brings out the greatness in people.  Wheelchairs, disabilities, people with crooked spines, the elderly.  There were all kinds of people with less than perfect health running a freaking marathon...but it's not just the runners.  I ran past hundreds of caring, encouraging, self sacrificing people that spent half a weekend day just to encourage me to keep running!  WOW!  I didn't know people could be so kind.  

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.  You may never run a marathon, and that's perfectly fine.  You don't have to.  Everyone has their own, so to speak, marathon in life.  Maybe for you it's a 5k, breaking the 'diet-fail' cycle or becoming a healthy role model for your kids.  

Whatever it is, put your heart & soul into it & get it done.  Keep going past the pain of change. And don't let anyone - ever, ever tell you that you can't do it or make you feel bad.  It's worth the effort in the end!  Let me know if I can help. -- Written by Emily Collins, OnTrack Fitness owner & trainer Honolulu HI  

A journey to weight loss and healthy living

We've had the privilege of providing fitness classes for one of our employee wellness clients in Indiana for several years.  One of our class participants has been working diligently toward change.  She's done so well that we asked her to share her story.  

Clark's Zumba class.  Can you tell they have fun getting fit?

Here's what Nancy, teacher at Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation, says about her journey.  She shares some wisdom that's quite inspiring!  

"My journey started when my doctor told me that the results of my annual A1C blood test to monitor my diabetes showed that I was beginning to show signs of kidney damage.  I've known people on dialysis and on transplant lists and definitely didn't want to go down that road.  I want to grow old with my husband Roger  and watch my sons Brett, Jared and Evan start families of their own. I asked him could I reverse the damage and he said yes with weight loss and exercise.  So it took this scare to get my "butt in gear." 

My biggest change I think is my commitment to exercise.    If you told me a few years ago that I would exercise on a routine basis I would of told you that you're nuts.  Of course like many people I know what I should and shouldn't be eating but didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it.  To this day my downfall is Pepsi's and bread (I'm an animal if you put a basket of yeast rolls in front of me) and I still have these things but in moderation.     I think moderation and consistency are the two main factors that have played in my success.         

My motivation during tough times is the fact I don't want to go back to my 2x and 3x size clothes (actually I've given most of these to Goodwill).  I keep myself motivated by treating myself when I reach a weight loss goal.  When I lost 10 lbs. I treated myself to acrylic nails, when I lost 20 lbs. I bought myself something and just kind of keep treating myself when I achieve a goal.   I am currently suffering a minor setback because at age 54 I have started the menopause cycle and my weight loss has stalled.  I'm trying to think of things to jump start the weight loss again because my goals is to drop 25-30 lbs. more and to get off all of my medications for my diabetes.    

Another motivation has been to incorporate different types of exercise routines.  I started my journey on the treadmill, moved to Zumba dvds and then moved to Zumba classes that you offer.  I've also begun doing the step aerobics and circuit classes that are offered on Mondays and Wednesdays and believe the variety helps keep me interested and motivated.  

My support system consists of my husband (who I got to start exercising on Saturday mornings when he saw I was getting up and doing my Zumba dvds), my sons (who try and make me accountable for when I skip a night and don't exercise or whenever I sit at a restaurant and eat too many yeast rolls) and my coworkers.   My coworkers are always complementing me on my success and telling me I'm their inspiration and some of them are actually my "exercise buddies" for the classes you offer.  

The benefits I have noticed are of course the weight loss and the fact I can actually fit into smaller clothes but most of all I've noticed my energy levels increase.  I used to go home after work and sit myself on the couch until it was time to fix dinner.  I now leave work, attend a class, go home fix dinner and not really sit down on the couch too much because I have the energy to do a little more at home each evening, i.e. vacuum, work in the yard, etc.  One thing that really got me excited was the fact that when I had to buy some clothes for work because of my weight loss that I got to go to a totally different section of the store.  It might seem like a small thing but it was uplifting to me.

I would tell anyone starting the journey or struggling to "not count yourself out".  It's a process and won't happen overnight.  I encourage everyone to reward themselves with each small milestone they achieve and don't deprive yourself,  just don't "over indulge".    Again, the key word is moderation.


If I can do it anyone can and never give up on yourself, even if you have a setback and gain a little of your weight back.    Just pick yourself up, realize where you slipped up, correct it and continue your journey."

Nancy, we are so proud of you for taking control of your life!

If you're ready to take control of your life & need some help, let us know.  That's what we're here for!  It doesn't matter where you live, we work with people all over the country.  Email us  

You CAN make the change.  Start today! -- by Emily Collins, Owner of OnTrack Fitness