Every Peach Has A Story…

My Peach(tree) story began in Atlanta, GA in 1997. I wasn’t a runner but a friend asked me to run the Peachtree. What was the Peachtree? Well it is only the biggest 10k Road Race on the planet. So I did it. No training, just did it. The internet wasn’t so big back then so I don’t even know how long it took me to complete the race. All I know is I conquered the challenge and moved on. I was a one run wonder.

1998 was a new year with new adventures and the Peachtree hype faded in a blink of an eye. I wasn’t a runner, I didn’t grow up in Atlanta and I just didn’t have a fit circle of friends who ran the Peachtree each year. Over the next 20 years, I climbed the corporate ladder, I had a few kids, I raised a child with health issues, and I worked hard at being a mommy and a wife yet something was missing. What was missing? ME time. I learned to prioritize and put everyone around me first, before me! I see this happens to many women (not men) but women. I had tried to lose weight in those years, I tried to live an active lifestyle, I tried and tried but I never made me a priority so failure was always around the corner. How could I be the best version of me and show my kids how to be fearless?

I had to reinvent myself. Some would judge me, some would defriend me, and others would support me. I guess this is where you really find out who your true friends are.  As I make changes in my life, I find myself seeking out new adventures. And with new adventures come new friends. I would meet new friends with similar interest and goals. I had always told my kids and employees that you become what you surround yourself with. And it’s true: spend all your time around negative people, you will be negative. Spend all your time around lazy people, you will be lazy. Spend all your working hours with those comfortable in dead end jobs, you will find yourself right there with them. This isn’t what I wanted in my future. So I changed my scenery. Slowly but surely. Out with the old, in with the new.

Fast forward to December 2015. I found a gal pal who was willing to work out with me consistently at 5:30am at a gym in between our homes. Why so early? We had to go before the kids had to get on the bus so we didn’t take any time away from our husband (hmmm) and then before we had to work (yes we had full-time jobs in addition to being full-time mommies). We pushed each other, we relied on each for accountability and we got in 1-2 hours of gym time 3-5 days a week. This was huge for us. But we were both moms just relying on the internet or friends for workout advice. We met people at the gym that marveled at our consistency and progress but we eventually hit a plateau. We considered kick boxing, a personal trainer, a boot camp but nothing jumped out at us or gave us a spark to change. We finally saw a Facebook ad for Crossfit at a local box for women only in a trial boot camp. We said let’s give it a shot. It was whimsical. We were not in the worst shape when we got there but we certainly were not near the cream of the crop either! And we said holy cow what if we never worked out before we came here? We would have died! Seriously.

For about 6-8 weeks we did core work, we ran, we crawled, we walked, we sweated and we lost our pride over and over and over again. We even learned a new vocabulary. A snatch, an immature squat, a Russian baby maker, and so many more. What started as 30 women got to less than 10 by the end of the time commitment. We were still lifting weights (not really) with a PVC pipe. Is that even a thing? Oh now what to do now? Well we could spend a good amount of discretionary income for the monthly membership and see how we fair. Let’s check in to see what the others are going to do as we liked some of the friends we made. 4 of us opted to stay and give it a go. We were nervous entering the regular class with the “big boys” who all seemed to be friends but we sucked it up and went 3 days a week. We got stronger. At the end of month 1, one of the girls dropped off so we were down to 3 but a new boot camp started and we met the ONLY girl in that boot camp, Sarah. She was just like us before. She really was just like us so we took her under our wings and the new foursome became the best of buds. We again sweat, ran, crumbled but we never quit. We never QUIT. We chipped away at each workout and we cheered for each other along the way. We all had good days and we all had our share of bad days. We scaled the workouts to our abilities and in time we earned our spot in the morning class. Shoutout to my WOD Goddesses below. These friends left the box for the beach this past fall to celebrate life. I remember one guy saying we (the guys) don’t acknowledge you (the girls) until you have been here 6 months. That’s when we know you are committed and are going to stick around. Did he seriously say that? How offensive! I guess when I look back, he did me a favor. He pissed me off so bad that I had to show him that was like flies on shit and I was sticking around and I would make sure the other girls stuck around too just to prove a point. HA to that one guy, SUCK IT! I/we are still here 2 years later at the same box and we are crushing it in our own way every time we come into that box. PR-PR-PR, some might say PR as in personal record but I say PRRRRR as in lady ROAR. Slay all day after you get your WOD in at 630am with the PURE DIVAS. Here we are with our friend #burchie who motivates us each and every week at the box and here at the race.As I reflect, we not only stayed but we conquered our fears and we slimmed down in the process while gaining confidence, friendships, and offering inspirations to others who thought they couldn’t do it. NO matter your shape, your size or your athletic ability, YOU can tackle anything YOU put your mind to. Weight loss, professional aspirations, workout goals, family goals, etc. The playing field may be different but the process is still the same. Commitment, goal setting, and achievement are all common denominators.  Check out the pre-race fun we had in 2017. So what does this all have to do with my PEACH story? EVERYTHING! My Peach story was revived in 2017 when a group from my Crossfit box started talking about running the Peachtree. I did the math and 2017 would be 20 years from the last time I completed the race. HOLY COW! I have to do it. I was feeling pretty good after being at Crossfit for a year and had dropped a good amount of weight, so why not? I got a few of my gal pals to jump in and do it together. There were about five of us who took part in it together. Each of us conquering our own set of challenges to get there and get it done. It was great. We planned for 2018 to keep the momentum going.2017-2018. One year of fitness. Can you see the difference? I can feel the difference. In my energy, in my clothes and in my mind.Now here we are in July of 2018. Life has been full of ups, downs, adventures and memories but through it all our gal pals at the gym have been together pulling for each other. This year there were almost 10 of us attempting to connect for the race and many “others” we knew who would be there racing as well. As I reflect on 2018, I see where I hit the 20 year milestone that has now started the annual event log for my fitness journey. This will be an event that I can continue to attend as long as my body will allow. I will strive to conquer the race and improve my race time each year. From mile 1 to 6.Because age is just a number and I am like a fine wine, aging to perfection. At almost 50 years old, I am now focusing on me. ME! I am committed to eating healthy, working out, and plan to enjoy all that goes along with living a healthy lifestyle. While others turn into couch potatoes at 50, I am working towards FAB at FIFTY. I am proud of my accomplishments thus far and I am excited for what is on the road ahead. I am sure there will be bumps along the way but hopefully this blog post will be one way to hold myself accountable and possibly inspire others who can’t see the finish line in their journey at the current moment. DO YOU, FOR YOU. It’s not to let late to start writing your amazing story!Go find your Peach story and live it. I am a Georgia Peach and live life to the fullest each day. I keep the negators away and find ways to smile each day even if it is at my own expense. Be thankful. Inspire others. Improve communities. #MiniMadness=doublefun#KTV #2CHX #Crossfit #Fitventures #PeachtreeRoadRace #GetMoving #AuthorsBlogToo