What Motivated Me?

DailyMile asked in Wednesday's #dailymission: What motivated you to start running/cycling/exercising?

My Response: The feeling of loss after I finished my MBA. I realized that I had no goals left to work towards & was seriously depressed about it. Ended up spending too much time feeling sorry for myself on the couch, which got me f-a-t. Husband deployed, depression got worse. Then, I discovered C25k apps for the iPhone! Finally an easy-to-follow running plan with specific goals.... & suddenly I had goals again. :D

Goals are a tough thing. They're so important for me; I know enough about myself to know that I can't stumble through day-to-day without a purpose. I need to work towards something. I didn't know that when I finished my MBA. Up until that point, finishing school was the only thing I could focus on. I never stopped to consider what I'd do with all that free time once school was completed.

I finished my MBA in June 2009. We were about to move, so I was still very busy. When we got to Italy, I stayed busy with moving into the new house & sightseeing. But I never thought about working towards something; I was stumbling through day-to-day. And I got F-A-T. I ballooned out to 171 lbs. on a 5'4" frame, the majority of which was belly fat. I looked like a swollen water balloon just that moment before it's about to pop.

Not an attractive look.

In March 2010, I discovered C25k apps for the iPhone. With a set method that I didn't have to keep track of (hurray for smartphones doing all the work), I finally had a goal... without realizing it. To me, it was all about getting to the end of the application, kind of like finishing the video game. But once I finished the C25k app, I immediately downloaded the Bridge-to-10k application & started going longer. The culmination of all this was the "Run to the Tower 12k" from Livorno to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In celebration of this, here's the video of that goal. It's even a bit Star Wars-inspired. May the Fourth Be With You... always.