Our New Blog (…And Where I’ve Been)

Hi, everybody! If you’re joining me from my former blog, The Final Forty, you already know that, sadly, it’s been well over a year since I last posted. And a LOT has happened since then.

For starters…this. 🙂

(Photo credit: Randy Chapman)

Todd and I got married in November at the most magical place on Earth. It was a dream come true, and I promise we’ll do a full recap with lots of those beautiful, romantic photos that every bride dreams about. 🙂

…like this one. 😀 (Photo credit: Randy Chapman)

Not to mention our EPIC European honeymoon…where we ran two international marathons and somehow lived to tell the tale.

For all of my friends from my previous blogging exploits (for a refresher on my life story, click here), you already know Todd, a frequent star over at The Final Forty. My new(ish) hubby and I are both marathon runners and writers, so we thought it would be fun to launch a new blog together. We’ll post race recaps (of course) in addition to training updates, tips, and all kinds of other good stuff related to our ongoing journey to be the best mediocre runners we can be.

Finishing the Rome Marathon…in the pouring rain…in 6.5 hours…

As for me…I’ve decided that after a year of abandonment, I will no longer be updating The Final Forty. The blog started way back in 2010 as a weight loss blog, where I planned to write about the trials and tribulations that I faced after losing 80-some-odd pounds and yet still being labeled by BMI charts as “obese” until I could lose 40 more. (Hence the name “the final forty”…’cuz I’m clever like that.)

I planned to talk about how no matter what I was doing, the scale just wasn’t budging, and commiserate with those of you who could relate to the frustration of trying to achieve that magic number: my “goal” weight.

My first “after” picture at 80 pounds lost

I was fit and active for the first time in my life, and I could shop in any clothing store and walk out with a size 10/12. I refused to starve myself or do anything to lose weight that I wasn’t willing to do the rest of my life to maintain it, so, I turned my focus to new goals. Like seeing if I could finish a marathon. Or a triathlon.

I apparently just really like taking pictures in this location. 🙂 Atlantic City: 2007 and 2017

So, the truth of the matter is, maintaining a weight loss blog was starting to make me feel like a fraud. It means so much to me that so many of you have reached out over the years to tell me about your own personal weight-related struggles, and how I, in some small way, inspired you. I will never, ever forget that.

But I’m no longer concerned about my weight. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with running (and swimming…and cycling…and martial arts…), and today my goal in life is to be as healthy and fit as I can possibly be — regardless of what any scale has to say.

My first marathon…the day I started to see myself as more than just “the fat girl”

Although my weight loss journey will always be part of my story, I wanted to write about a life in which I’m not just a former fat girl. The “old” me will always be there. Believe you me — I still struggle with her existence every single day. There will still be plenty of talk here about navigating my life as a pseudo-athlete while battling my lifelong tendency to look in the mirror and feel self-conscious about my large thighs or, even better, all of the loose skin on my triceps (or my “wings,” as they are now so affectionately called).

Especially while wearing all of that tiiiight triathlon gear. And having to squeeze my body, inch by inch, into a neoprene wetsuit. Need I say more?

I ask you..is there ANYTHING less flattering than a wetsuit…?!

But at this point in my life, I want to celebrate the person I am now…and The Final Forty just wasn’t calling me anymore, as much I missed blogging. Plus, truth be told, planning a wedding and doing the whole “let’s get married” thing basically consumed my whole life for a while, and after so many months passed, it got harder and harder to hop back on the blogging wagon.

To that end, Todd and I have figured out a solution. We’ve decided to launch this new blog to capture this new phase in our lives. We thought it would be a fun way to celebrate our marriage and our ongoing adventures in fitness and running.

…and eating, our other favorite activity. 😉

For all of you who have connected with me in the past, I hope you’ll join us over here at the new blog (which will be redirected). And for those of you who are new (welcome!), we hope this blog provides a (somewhat humorous) look at what it’s like to be your middle-of-the-pack, “lesser-known” distance runner while still juggling all of the responsibilities of married life. And, you know, life in general. 🙂

The funny part is that we got married in November…and this is from January. Had to milk the whole “bride” thing for as long as possible, haha

Thanks so much for reading. I can’t wait to reconnect with all of you and share what we’ve been up to lately…including next week’s BIG IMPORTANT post on the crazy goals we’ve set for ourselves this fall. Including my first half Ironman! 😀

…can I bike 56 miles? We’ll find out on September 17th!

Until next time,

Jen