Can I call myself a runner yet?

I'm not sure if I can classify myself as a runner just yet.

Though, I did get professionally fit for running shoes last week. They are pretty sweet. However, I still have monster wide feet, so they had to order them in a wide. I'm looking forward to breaking them in.

My next 5K is October 12th. I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to it! I'm not sure that I will be able to run the entire thing, but we will see. I've only worked up to running just over 2 miles. I'm a little worried that I will finish last, though. I know it doesn't matter - it's a "fun run" but I do not want to be that person that the police car has to follow all the way to the finish... And this race will be much smaller than the Color Run, so my chances of being the slowest runner are high.

My fastest mile is now 11:30! I pushed myself really hard on Sunday night and got to that time. I was thrilled. I'm running an average of about a 12 minute mile. Right now, I'm walking 5 minutes as a warmup, running 25 minutes, and then a 5 minute cool down. It's about 2.75 miles total. I really want to walk less than that for the 5K.

Of course, the scale has not moved one pound. But I'm learning to trust more of what I feel in my clothes and what other people see. I can't trust me own perception of what I look like because it is so distorted still. I have to be losing inches because I am still going down pants and shirt sizes. So, the total weight lost is still 92 pounds. But, I have to learn to appreciate how far I have come. I was going through clothes to consign tonight, and I have pants from a year ago that are size 24. I am now a 16! I can't begin to tell you how awesome that feels. One year ago, I guarantee I could not have run more than 20 seconds. I can now run for 25 minutes!

I'm 28 and the healthiest I have ever been. So thankful.