First off, let me start with a little bit about myself; my name is Ashley, I am 21 years of age, and working hard to achieve my academic goals. I have never really thought of myself as over weight, until last year. I was at a weight that I was not happy with, and plus I was really unhealthy. My eating habits were disgusting, I worked out but not hard, and I slept a lot. However, since January 2011, I have lost over 30 pounds and I feel good; but I know I could lose a little more to be at the optimal weight I want to be at.

This was me last year....

 This is me now, 30+ pounds lighter....

I am sure throughout this I will tell you more about me, but for now this is all you get.

As a child I was always active; I played softball and soccer for a total of 9 years. When I was about 14 I tore my ACL in my left knee and that killed my athletic career. At the age of 17, my knee specialist found a tumor, called Osteochondroma, in my right knee; it was benign but it was a very scary thing to go through.

I never thought I could be a runner, I never thought I WOULD be a runner, heck I never thought I would even like to run. However, last year, after I lost some weight, I was given the opportunity to become a "running specialist" at my current job. I did a lot of thinking and asked myself, "how can I be a running specialist without being a runner?" It just wasn't possible. From that point on I ran, a little here and a little there but not quite as much as I should have or could have. I just had some silly excuse, usually my knees were my reason, to not run that day or another day. In November, last year, I decided to sign up for the Tough Mudder. Now, for those of you that don't know what that is, I suggest you look it up; there is really nothing that I can tell you to make you understand, you have to see it to believe it. I didn't train like I should have, but with the help of my teammates and my P.I.R., Vicki, I made it through. Shortly after this race Vicki and I decided, literally in the truck leaving the race, that we were going to make 2012 OUR year! We decided to sign up for at least one race per month, 12 races in 12 months can't be too hard right?

The challenge:
          to prove to myself that I can do something for ME, that I am capable of getting even healthier, and that I can keep a goal that I have set for myself!

First, let me say this- I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, mainly because if you want to change something then you should start now. Not tomorrow, or "Monday", or even January 1st. There should be no reason to start something, except for the pure fact that you want to make an honest difference now, for you and only you! And plus, how long do those New Year's Resolutions actually stick around?
So no, this is not my New Year's Resolution; rather, it is my life reolution, where I start today and keep it going through tomorrow, and next year, and for the next 50 years. Whether I continue running after this year or not, my goal is to become something more than just a student, girlfriend, friend, or coworker- I want people to look at me and say, "I want to be like her" or "wow, she's an inspiration". I intend to work hard and show not only myself, but others, that we can change ourselves and not become just another statistic.

No more excuses. Just do it.

I want to share my story, as it happens, and have the chance to inspire others, and myself. We are all capable of being healthy. Most importantly, we are capable of doing something to better ourselves and the many lives around us; it is just a matter of taking that first step saying, "I can and I will"!
It only takes one big leap of faith and a lot of courage to get started, but I plan to prove that it can and will be done. 11 more months, let's do it!

My first challenge story:
THE TOUGH MUDDER, dun dun dun!
What a better way to start my 12 month challenge than the Tough Mudder. 12.5 miles of running, and 29 crazy-insane obstacles: mud crawls, 4-8 foot high walls to climb, ice baths, balance beams, and electric shock therapy; to name a few. It was possibly one of the toughest things I have ever gotten myself into, but then again it is called the "Tough" Mudder for a reason. I cannot begin to express the things that were going through my mind when the bell went off and we were told to start. Some of the things included, "What the F*&^ am I doing!", "Holy crap, no turning back now", and "I really hope I don't die". You might laugh, but I sure as hell wasn't! I ran the first mile, and then we got to our first obstacle; oh joy I had to jump into a pool of green junk and ice! I was so excited and ready to jump in that I just did it! Bad idea, because after seeing my friend Vicki come out of the water and how cold she looked, I held on to the wall like a big baby and almost started to cry because I was so terrified. Needless to say I got pulled out and did not go back in! I nearly ate mud getting out of the pool, but I didn't thank God, and started to run. The next obstacle was a mud crawl, I believe, and let me tell you, IT WAS FREEZING. But this time I didn't have anyone to pull me out just because I was cold. Above my head was barbed wire, I really was trapped; I couldn't breathe and could barely move, but I kept going. Mainly because I had Louis, my boyfriend, right behind me telling me to GO and hurry up; apparently he was cold too! haha. After that I really kept asking myself what the hell I was doing!
My shoes and clothes got heavier and heavier due to all of the mud I kept collecting after each obstacle; I felt like I weighed 400 pounds!



Although it was tough, my muscles ached, I was bruised from head to toe, and nearly got hypothermia; I really enjoyed myself and felt unbelievably accomplished crossing the finish line. It was kind of like when you have to go number two all day, and when you finally go you get that feeling of accomplishment and like you are on cloud nine! What a feeling right??

Before the race:                                                         After the race:

The next challenge is the Heart and Sole Race, which is a 5k.

Look out because Vicki and I are coming to take over the run scene.