Hi! I'm Mary, and I'm from Alabama! I've just made the giant leap of faith (in myself) and decided to sign up for a half marathon! I've been running since January of this year, and I'm hooked. The longest run I've completed yet is 7 miles, so I'm thinking I should just DO IT!
Nice to meet y'all!

Hi! I'm Dawn. I'm from MI but transplanted in southern NJ.
I used to run cross-country in high school.
I'm not at a place in my weight loss to jog or run YET, but am looking forward
to being able to again. =]

Hi Everyone I'm Kat from the Buffalo, NY area! I just ran my first half marathon in September and continue to look towards more half marathons and a full. My goals are to run the Grand Island Half, Buffalo Half, Presque Isle Half, Repeat the Lewiston half in 2012, and then run the NYC Full in 2012 :-) I am starting to train now for the full so I have a good base and can run (hopefully) a Boston qualifying time as well. Running is not just something I do, it is a part of me!

Hi Everyone I'm Kat from the Buffalo, NY area!

Yay! Home! I grew up in the wonderful no-man's land between Buffalo and Rochester

Hi everyone! I'm Amber from Maryland. I've been running (and doing triathlons) regularly for about 4 years now. Initially it helped me lose 70 pounds but then during / after marathon training I gained 15 back...very frustrating! I've been stuck trying to lose these same 15 pounds for about a year now. I'm currently focusing on going sub 2:00 for the half and then I'll try another marathon. Nice to meet you all!

Hi all! I wanted to introduce myself.

I have been running long distance half/full for about 3 years now. I ran in high school and stopped while in college... I started running again when I trained for a sprint triathlon 3 years ago. I was hooked! I have ran from a 5k all the way up to a full marathon. I enjoy half marathons the most just because my life does not always allow the time training for a full. Perhaps I will train for a full again in a few years but for now 13.1 is my favorite distance!

I am currently 3 months pregnant and I have cut back to my running to about 2-3 miles each time. I have been having some breathing issues and therefore have switched to a more easy going run/walk pace. I hope to pick up post baby and complete a half marathon in 2012 pushing the little peanut along with me!

Hey, I'm Daryl, I'm currently living in Frankfort, Ky but originally from Louisville, Ky. I was a runner in HS and college, took a 10+ yr hiatus then began running again about 2 1/2 yrs ago. Ran off and on for about 2 yrs before I started to finally get serious about my running this summer, which happens to coincide when I decided to get serious about losing weight Right now I'm tapering for my first marathon on 11/20. Looking forward to setting some PR's in the next year or so.

Hello! I'm Maureen from NS Canada. I love running! I have done 2 half-marathons, and quite a few 10K races. I try to run 4-5 times a week. Looking forward to posting and getting to know you all!

I'm Marcy from Texas...and I just finished my 4th half marathon on 11/6. I'm the pace leader of a run/walk group at my local running club and have been running off and on most of my life - I guess it's genetic because my mom was a track star in high school. I took up running seriously in the form of running in a group in 2007, but due to a stress fracture - had to stop, gained the weight from being in a cast most of 2008. I started running with a running club in 2010 and was asked to be a pace leader this past summer and love it! My next big race is the White Rock Marathon (running on a relay team - my leg is 5.2 miles) followed by running the Susan G Komen Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in March 2012.

Looking forward to the group!

Hello Runners,

This is Lisa from St. Charles, MO. I have been running for about 15 years now. Distance running for about 7 years. I've completed 2 full marathons and I've lost count of how many half marathons. My next run is St. Judes in Memphis Dec. 7. This will be my 5th St. Jude's half. This memphis course is alwaya a tuff one for me but the company is great and the cause is a good one. Exercise is not a problem for me -- eating right is a real struggle. Frankly, I'm clueless about nutrition. I also resent not being able to eat sweets. I wish I could transfer some of the diligence and energy I seem to find for running into a desire to improve my diet. My favorite foods are chocolate and Guiness. I have been chocolate and Guiness free for 2 weeks now and I've gained 1 pound. I am in awe of the people out here that are kickn a55 when it comes to dropping lbs. It's amazing - I've never had to meet such a challenge and don't know where you draw from to do so. I have never lost more than10lbs and those two efforts started with a stomach flu, followed by a temporary loss of appetite and then a half-hearted attempt to cut back on portions for a couple of weeks. I trained for and ran a marathon this past September. I was able to lose 6 pounds purely from training, but that weight is right back on me and I'm not going to train for another marathon for quite some time. So, I'm back to 15 lbs overweight at age 46. For the most part, this weight has been a 2-3 lb gain/per year for the last 5-6 years. To some of you, my weight loss goal may seem miniscule, but having never had to diet, being clueless about nutrition, and now suddenly having to make an effort or sacrifice for something that use to come freely..... well to me, my weightloss goal is more of challenge than running 26.2 miles. I've recently started seeing a personal trainer/nutritionist. He's tough. He scolded me for not keeping a food diary of what I eat. He told me about MFP and said I needed to beef-up on nutrition too. He said the weight gain women experience in their 40s continues into their 50s but it is myth that nothing can be done to control or reverse the gain. It's just not going to happen naturally or through exercise alone. I have to change my diet -- good bye guiness:( On the bright side, I dig this site. I think it's going to help. I'm not saying I have a plan yet but I'm exploring a lot of paths out here on MFP and I already feel not so lost.

Thanks for letting me bend your ear!

^^ Wow! Such an inspiration! Loved reading about your transformation and your personal running journey. Runners are such fascinating and inspiring individuals, and YOU lady kick some major *kitten*! :bigsmile:

Hey all,

I'm new to the distance thing and am only up to 6 miles but some days 3 miles feels like a struggle Very occasionally I feel totally in control of my heart rate and feel like I could run forever, but that doesn't happen too often, lol. I would like to do a half marathon next year, but goodness knows I would only be racing myself. I'm very slow and more concerned with distance than speed, although I do throw in a few HIIT days to keep my metabolism up.

I'm pretty plagued with injuries, in particular I get tendonitis in my ankles pretty easily. I'm hoping to toughen my tendons up and have my body get used to distance. I could always use advice! Feel free to give it.

Hi there runners!
I am jodie, I have been running competitvely for about eh, a year now, since I won my first triathlon I really havent stopped running. In one week, I will be running a 10K turkey Trot, so I have been training pretty hard for that, but now its all winding down. (Tapering really is the best part!) I just finished a half marathon last month which I won! Suprisingly because I really dont know how I did that. Didnt train properly at all. Sometimes I lose motivation to go run, because I am a college student with a very hectic workload, but on days im very tired, I will do an uphill walk and flip on the tube, mostly to the Cooking Channel or the Food Network because I love to cook! :]

All is well, friend request if you want! I lose weight to be a faster runner and I am almost there!

Just found this group! I am currently training for a marathon! and loosing all the weight to go with it! If you fancy giving some good tips to a beginner then please add me as a friend :-)

Hi, I'm Nina...

At the beginning of this year, I had determined I was going to lose 30 pounds before my 30th birthday. I joined Weight Watchers in February only to find myself at a plateau just a couple months in. Frustrated with the stand still in my progress, I wasn't sure if I was going to break through. On an afternoon while waiting on my kids at the library, I came across a magazine article which featured a woman who had lost weight and tracked using this site. I immediately looked it up! I found the site and the phone application to be extremely easy to use and began logging my food and exercise. I fell in love with running at the same time and began training for my first Half Marathon. Using MFP allowed me to be smart and make wise decisions through my training. Viewing the nutritional information was important in tracking protein, carbs, and calories. As time went on, I continued to lose weight and told everyone I knew about this spectacular new site. My 30th birthday came and I had reached my goal of 30 pounds off! I went from a snug 14 to a size 10. The very next month, I finished my Half Marathon -The Detroit Free Press.

I'm still losing weight and MFP is one of the best tools in my bag. I just tried on my first pair of size 8 jeans and I'm now down almost 40 pounds! When people ask me how I'm doing it, I love to share how My Fitness Pal has been a huge part of my success. I began blogging about my journey as well as sharing healthy tips on my blog www.runningsforthebirds.blogspot.com. I encourage all of my readers to use MFP!