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Kicking Off the Miles

I did it! I DID IT!!! Woooohoooo! Ok, I just had to get that out of my system. 🙂 As you all know I have had major butterflies leading up to the big race. I went through the training program…had the usual ups & downs, and the morning of the race I will admit I was down right scared! I know it sounds really silly, but there are still times where my inner “overweight girl” tells me I won’t be able to do it. Thank goodness I had Fitness Magazine’s very own Jenna Autori there cheering me on. She literally looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, you totally got this!” Sometimes a simple encouraging word is all you need to give you that little push! By the time I got to the starting line I was ready to attack this challenge! My game plan was to really pace myself and keep a consistent pace the entire race. So many people told me that I would want to book it in the beginning because of the excitement & adrenaline. Boy, we’re they right…I wanted to SPRINT in the beginning…the excitement from the crowd & the runners was electric! Despite my desire to break the world record…I started off with a pace that I knew I could sustain. I felt very strong for the first 7 miles…they seemed to fly by. Around mile 8 I hit my first “wall”. From the point where I had no clue what mixing and mastering was, I have grown to at least produce some amateurish pieces for personal use. I was so thankful that I programmed some funny music on my playlist because right when I needed a boost RuPaul’s “Covergirl” came through my headphones! It really made me laugh and I will tell you it really was the boost I needed. I will tell you that I had multiple times throughout the race that I was VERY emotional. It was a little over a year ago that I was 261 lbs, unhealthy, & very unhappy. Fast forward & I am running…RUNNING…a half marathon. THIS is what life is about! I have never been so proud of myself. To be honest I don’t really even remember miles 11-13…I was so fixated on finishing! As I crossed the finish line I fell into a huge puddle of tears…I did it…and I ran EVERY step. It was just another moment in my life where I was overwhelmed with thankfulness. The Biggest Loser not only helped me lose weight, but they introduced me to my inner athlete. I’ll tell you…she is pretty cool.

I am so thankful to Fitness Magazine and the supplements they recommended me, if you think they will help you too, here’s a list which will help . I can’t tell you how amazing the entire staff is! They truly care about people & helping us all become well rounded healthy individuals. I am thrilled to have had this experience & the opportunity to share my journey with their readers. I look forward to partnering with Fitness Magazine again in the future!

Health & Happiness,
Olivia

29 replies on “Kicking Off the Miles”

I am SO proud of you! You and your sister are my biggest inspiration. You truly changed my life. You both are amazing people, and I can honestly say that I don’t know what I would’ve done or even where I would be right not if it wasn’t for you guys! I love you so much, and my biggest goal right now is to one day meet you and tell you thank you from the bottom of my heart!

You guys are the BEST!

My first was my fastest! I’ve run 3 since then, and a full marathon, and I really can’t get enough. Totally addicting. I have cried at every “first”: first 5k, 10k, half. Until the marathon, where I was just so completely wiped that I just had to keep moving afterwards.

Any plans to do a full marathon?

I am headed to NYC (from Dallas!) for the Sports Bra Challenge (http://seakfoundation.com/becky-fuller-reveals/, that’s me!) and hope to see you there!

Too cool! In the last year and a half, I’ve lost over 100 lbs and I’m currently planing for a half marathon in June. I can totally relate to your emotions. Reading this made me super excited! You’re a rad cat.

Love this post! Congrats O! I ran my first half marathon last summer. My fiance ran it with me, since he had completed halfs before. We decided to run it together since I was nervous about finishing. I ended up having to walk two miles of it because he hadn’t trained well enough! Could have ran the whole thing myself! The energy and excitement of the race carried me the whole way. I’m preparing for my next one in July but currently have a knee injury so I am BUMMED. Hope it heals up fast!

What a new life you have created for yourself. I like that you found your inner athlete. I think mine went on some sort of a time traveling trip with Dr. Who. I would love to know what other funny songs you use to keep yourself going. Absolutely loved that RuPaul was there for you. There just isn’t enough laughter in the world and we defenitely need more of it.

Thanks for BEING an inspiration.

Olivia words can not express how proud i am of you for finshing strong. but i know where your coming from when i ran my first 5k i didnt think i could do it. but when race time started i was pumped. but i fooled the fromer 232bls me. olivia anything is possible and again every proud of you. oxox <3<3<3

O I am so proud of you! you inspire me every day! I go to gym and push myself with the images of you and hannah working it on the BL ranch.. and just thinkin about you guys how strong you are! Thanks for everything and for helping me change my life!
((((HUGS))))
cant wait to meet you in real person someday!

xoxo
liba

So proud of you Olivia!!! You are a rockstar. I’m training for a half marathon as well and I’m pretty much banking on crying out a puddle of joy as well when i finish. Sure beats the tears of sorrow us ex-fat girls use to cry! You inspire me so much, and I can’t believe how beautiful you and Hannah looked at the event you went to last night! It just reminds me that every ounce of effort is SO worth that end result. Now on to a full marathon! Or a triathlon! You can do whatever you want! xoxox

Yay! Congratulations!! You are awesome!

I’m training for my first half marathon right now, also. And let me tell you… I’m terrified. I honestly do not know how I’m going to do it. Training is getting harder and harder and EVERY single time I go out for a run I always fight with my inner self because I keep saying “You can’t do this. It’s too much. You’ll never make it.” So I’m really struggle bussin’ with this. I get so frustrated on my runs when I’m only a couple of miles in and my legs are burning… I hate that I’m not a good runner. When/if I cross that finish line, I will be ecstatic… Until I realize that I have no one there to celebrate with. I don’t know why I want someone there, but I do.

Thank you for this post… It’s just enough to get my booty outside on a run today (with my pepper spray in hand 😉 ) and that bit of inspiration I needed today. THANK YOU!

Oooh, Whitney, kick that nasty inner beast to the curb. Keep your expectations reasonable for race day. The goal is only to finish. If you’re running three or four times a week, keep the weekday runs 2 or 3 or 4 miles, then have longer runs on the weekend. Build up to running and walking the amount of time you estimate to complete the half, no matter if you get all the miles in. Increasing the time on your feet will help. One thing that’s helped me build some confidence in myself is running (read: chugging) up hills instead of walking them. It makes you feel so strong. I’m not sure I’ll have anyone waiting at the end of my half either, but you know what? I’m doing it for ME and I WILL BE THERE to love myself and be proud of myself at the finish line. Be there for yourself, Whitney!

I just finished my third half marathon last Saturday in Kansas City…and let me tell you, each time I am terrified beyond words and think “there is now way I can do this…I can’t run 13 miles..no way!” But each time, I have to shut that voice down inside of my head and run! Just keep telling yourself that you know how to do this…you know how to run! One foot in front of the other and you will get there! Also, when you hit your wall (and you will) look around and realize that everyone else is hurting too….you aren’t the only one that’s struggling.
Finally, just take it one mile at a time! Don’t count how many more you have left. Just watch for that next mile sign!
Good luck! Have faith! You are going to rock this half!
🙂

Amazing job! I am so proud of you…but really, did you even doubt you couldn’t do THIS race when you’ve done what you’ve done in the past year? Amazing. My first half marathon was HILARIOUS! It was originally a relay–and I was assigned the first 4 miles. When I hit the 4 miles I was feeling good, and decided to keep going! I came in 2nd to last, didn’t stop to walk and FINISHED the race in 3 hours! That gave me motivation, and I was able to shave off over a 1/2 hour of time on my 2nd half marathon (and prepped a little more!)

I hope to finish a few triathlons this year, and hopefully compete in a Spartan race in June! Thanks for all the inspiration and motivation! Love you!

I ran the LA Marathon in 2004 (well, walk/ran) and it was amazing. I was terrified, too, the whole week before. And as it turned out, on race day the temperature was in the mid 90s, a good 20 degrees hotter than any of my training runs…. It was SO HARD but I had friends and family cheering me on at the 20 mile mark and the finish line. Firemen had their hoses out to spray us down which really helped. I did it much slower than I hoped, but I DID IT! I was bummed that I walked as much as I did, but I kept seeing people drop from heat so I decided to be a bit conservative….And afterwards, my training team leaders said that it was one of the hardest marathons in a long time and we should be very proud to finish. I was only about 8 minutes behind my pace group so that’s not so bad. I don’t think I’d do another marathon, but I want to do a HALF marathon and run every step like you’ve described. Once during training I just ran 12 miles without stopping and BY MYSELF and I was amazed at myself. There’s something about going over 8 to 10 miles that takes it in to the mind and not just the physical, and it’s an amazing experience…. I haven’t run in a while but I’m starting to build up again. Before I did the marathon I hadn’t run more than a mile. There was a guy in my training group who was 92 years old and he was running his 3rd marathon!!

Olivia… you have come so far in such a short time. You must be “over the moon” with excitement! I may not know you personally, but I am VERY proud of you!

I ran my first half marathon in Jan. 2011 in my neck of the woods (Miami, FL). I still cannot believe that I crossed that finish line. I can totally relate to that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.

Keep up the great work… you are an inspiration to women of all shapes and sizes!

Lizette B.
P.S. You look fabulous!

Olivia,

You are a huge inspiration!! Congratulations on your first half-marathon. Are you planning for your second? They will become addictive! I ran my first during your season of the BL. Every Tuesday I would watch and push myself even harder the next day in training. I ran my second one this year with my Dad. Your season got him serious about weight loss. He was an athlete in college but gained a lot of weight. He lost 70 pounds last year. He got serious about training and dominated his half-marathon. Keep up all the hard work. Everyday you make me want to push myself to be and do better at all things!

Hey Olivia!!! AMAZING JOB!!! I too will run a half someday…gotta match my hubby’s 13.1 sticker on our truck 🙂 Another thing…you know that funny thing where it says, “if you still look cute after working out, you didn’t do it right.” WELL, you still look cute after your half….betcha got more go go juice and will PR next time too! ROCK it girl!!!! Congratulations again!!!

I am SO proud of you!!!! You LOOK amazing, but more than that, I know you FEEL amazing. I have commented to more than a few people that I’ve had to “wash my eyeballs” of this season’s Biggest Loser by going back and watching YOUR season on Hulu+. You and Hannah inspire me so much. I have lost about 50 pounds, and am now working out, and just signed up for my first 5K! I am really exicted to be on this journey and hope you are blogging for a long time because I love reading what you have to write!!!! 🙂 Wishing you ONLY the best!

xoxo,
Erika

So proud of you. Thank you for continuing to share your journey with all of us. You continue to inspire and encourage so many people….especially me!

Amazing story! I set a goal in January to run a half in November, but I haven’t been working towards it as hard as I should. This gives me the motivation to get myself in gear. I’ve still got 6 months. And if you’re free November 18…come down to Philly and run with me! 🙂

Congrats! great time, almost the coveted 2 hour mark — awesome for anyone especially for your first run.
So are you addicted yet? when is the next one 🙂

Olivia, you have been such an inspiration to me, and I have been a big fan since you were on BL. I also have a sister (my twin in fact) and we have started on our weight loss journey together, thanks to you and Hannah. I have lost over 40 lbs so far and have been working out daily since November 1st. Thank you for your positive attitude and being such a great role model! You ROCK! 🙂

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