The First Half

It's been an awesome two years of hard work that's certainly paid off. In the last 24 months, slowly but surely, I've lost 105 lbs due to my own motivation to be healthy and confident in myself. It's taken lots of will power, a new attitude for and knowledge about nutrition, the encouragement from loved ones, and my own personal drive to take on physical challenges. I've regained the body I once had as a 23 year old, and in so feel like I am indeed 7 years younger, wearing the clothes I did back then and saved hoping I'd fit into them again, and taking on the physical challenges I did back then too by regularly swimming, running, hiking, and rock climbing.

I've been off from work this last week, in recovery from surgery I had on Oct 1st to correct problematic circulation due to the years of being overweight and due to a scary blood clot I had earlier this year. While my "new legs" heal, I decided starting a new series of drawings that relates to my favourite sports was a good idea: sports that I take on personally and push myself to new limits. This way I'd maintain focused on the bigger picture while I've been mostly at home and slow-moving when I do venture outside. Every sunny day I look up at Grouse Mountain and wish I could be hiking to the top, rather than being at home with my feet up, an ice pack on my sutures and bruises, and having the few steps outside my building be my big daily physical challenge. But I do know full well that the pain in the legs is simply a temporary feeling while I recover from surgery. In a few weeks, I'll be out there again, running around like a machine as usual, and I'll be better at it with circulation running a bit more efficiently this time around.

The first of my drawing series you'll see below. It is a self-portrait, based on a photo that was taken of me when I was 23, running my very first Half Marathon, hence the title: The First Half. It's me running the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon toward the end of the race as I'm rounding the Stanley Park seawall toward the finish line at Lumbermans's Arch. Since this first big race, I've run two more halfs and my goal is to run my next one in 2011 (haven't decided which race yet). I'm positive that my 4th half will be just as or even more special than my first. Completing my first one does however, give me the confidence in knowing I'm capable. I have no doubt I'll succeed in completing one next year. Who knows, but a full marathon may be in my near future too. :-)