On Saturday, we spent a beautiful, non-humid, unbuggy, 75 degree day at a lake with the Kerchner Clan.  One of my husband’s cousins had organized a family reunion, and he couldn’t have picked a better day or spot.  It was perfect!  Of course though, as with all get-togethers, there was food.  Lots of yummy food.  And I did what I tend to do when there’s lots of food:  I ate… a lot!

Knowing that we were going to be hanging out for several hours with lots of food, I had made the decision that I was more or less giving myself a free day.  So I didn’t count how many barbecue chips I ate, and I allowed myself servings of potato and pasta salad, and I didn’t stop at just one brownie.  In preparation for the picnic, I didn’t eat any breakfast, and even though we left at 5, I didn’t eat anything after we left.

Later that night, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to go to MyFitnessPal.com where I’ve been tracking my food and exercise.  I then tried to enter what I ate that day.  It was a lot of guessing,  because I wasn’t counting or paying attention to servings as I ate.   I know I didn’t enter it all, because I kept remembering other things, like a half a can of soda, but I got the main gist of the day.  And the damage was….

There really should be some type of drum roll…

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2345 calories 

And that was only between the hours of 12 and 4!!!!  And I’m sure that number is actually on the low side, because I gave up trying to remember everything.  In order to lose 1-2 pounds a week, I’m supposed to only net 12oo calories, after exercise – which I didn’t do any that day!  That’s 1,145 calories more than I was supposed to have.  (I basically ate 2 days worth of food within a 4 hour time frame!)

I didn’t stress too much about it, because like I said, I was giving myself a free day.  But it’s crazy how quickly those calories can add up when you aren’t paying attention.  Here’s how I’m able to have a day like that, record it, and then get right back on track…

After you enter all of your food for the day, My Fitness Pal tells you what you’d weigh in 5 weeks if everyday was like that.  Since I’ve started recording on the site, the pronouncement at the end has always been a weight lower than what I was.  But not on Saturday.  Instead, it said, “If every day were like today…   You’d weigh 181.6 lbs in 5 weeks” which is 4.6 pounds higher than what my weight was on Saturday.

Definitely enough motivation, to not let a “free” day turn into guilt and then turn into another day and another day and then a week and then a month of not paying attention.  Resulting in gaining back weight that I’ve worked so hard to get rid of.  That’s what I used to do.

But that’s not what I did this time!  Thank you God, that you’ve been working on my heart.  Thank you God, that you are enabling me to accept my imperfections, to confess my overeating, but then to move on and not get immobilized by it.  Thank you God, for tools like MyFitnessPal.com and for my friends who use it too, because they help hold me accountable.  But most importantly, thank you God, that you love me no matter what I weigh and no matter what I eat.  (But I’ll admit, that I love myself more, when I’m not eating out of control…)

Pressing on together,

♥Becki 

Yesterday my boys and I went for a hike so they could throw rocks into a stream.  What is it about boys and throwing rocks???? Anyway, we went to a spot that we’ve gone to before, but it was quite awhile ago.  About 1/10th of a mile into our walk, son #2 found a spot that he thought was good.  The trail is about 10 feet above the water line, but at this spot there was a small path that led down to the water.  There was about 3 feet of “beach” and a few rocks lying around.  My oldest son didn’t even give it a glance, but kept on walking.  He knew where he wanted to go.

It took some convincing, but I got son #2 to keep going.  Every so often, he would find another path and declare it to be “the spot”.  He’d then get frustrated as son #1 just kept walking.  I’d tell him, no, we’re not there yet.

“But this spot looks good,” he’d reply.

“But the one up ahead is better.” I’d answer.

All the while, my oldest kept walking, very focused and determined.  He rarely even glanced around as he walked.  He knew where he was going.  And my “indoor kid” as he likes to call himself, was walking at a pace that my youngest, son #3, had a hard time keeping up with.  But up ahead, about a mile into our hike, we saw him take the right turn, off the path, towards the creek.  The other 2 started running to catch up to him.

Their smiles were huge, their eyes big as they were taking in the “Mecca” of locations for stream stone throwing.  We were on an all stone peninsula.  The stream was wide at this spot, and there was a waterfall.  Right away, they were grabbing all sorts of stones and throwing them in the water.  I found a spot to sit down and watched as they spent the next 40 minutes enjoying themselves.

And as we walked back, son #2 no longer had any desire to take the paths down to the 3 foot beaches with a handful of stones.  They lost their appeal when compared to where we were.

As we continued to walk, I thought about my weight loss journey.  Right now, I’m 178 pounds (yep, I broke the 180 barrier last week!).  Compared to 224, I feel great.  Clothes look better on me.  I don’t have to shop in the plus sized clothes anymore.  I’m getting lots of compliments.  I can run 3 miles, and I do so 3-5 times a week.  I feel good about myself.  But right now, I’m fighting the urge to just “sit” here at this weight.  Fighting the thoughts that this is “good enough” and it would be OK to just maintain.  Fighting to keep pressing on.

Because even though 178, when compared to 224, is amazing, it’s not where I should be.  I’m still considered obese.  My thighs still rub together when I run.  My belly and my arms still have a lot of “jiggle” to them.  I’m still in double-digit clothes.  My “Mii” on Wii Fit is still fat!  So I know I can’t stop here.

I thought about how son #2 was content to stop 1/10th of the way into a walk and stand on a tiny beach with only a few rocks.  He didn’t want to keep going.  To him that was good enough.  But in reality, it didn’t come close to comparing with the destination son #1 and I had in mind.  And I decided that I was not going to be content to stop here on my health journey.  I’m going to keep pressing on.

Pressing on together,

♥Becki

Alright, let’s talk numbers.  I’ve never been one to be open about the numbers.  I’m more of a vague person.  Sure I can say I lost x amount of weight, but I’m not one to admit my starting weight or current weight.  I’ve often marveled at the contestants on Biggest Loser allowing their weight to be broadcast on TV.  Why?  Because I listen to other women talk about how they hit 150 pounds and they really need to lose weight.  And I’m thinking, their weight is a dream weight for me!  So to admit my actual weight is embarrassing.

But right now, I’m at my next “milestone” marker and I’ve been staring at it for a few weeks, and every time I get on the scale, I think surely I’ve gone under it, but no, still above it.  So I’ve decided to go public with it, in hopes that next week I can celebrate on here and announce that I’ve gone below!

Before I admit to where I am, let me tell you where I’ve come from.  Because where I am right now, is a number that most of you would be horrified if the scale ever said it.  So to appreciate that it’s a good number, you need to know where I’ve been.

My highest recorded weight was 224.  That was several years ago.  I’ve lost and gained, normally fluctuating between 195 and 220.  Every time I’ve gone under 200, I’ve said I’m never going back.  But I always did.  In November of 2010, I decided to get serious and started again.  At that point, I was 218.  I lost weight and last May I was about 188.  Then I started gaining again.  In February, I was back up to 210ish.  Our scale had stopped working, so I didn’t get a starting weight when I got serious again.  Which brings us to this morning.  I was 180.5.

I can’t wait to get into the 170’s.  Haven’t seen them in 12 years!  But I think I mentally starting sabotaging myself.  For the past 3 weeks, my weight loss has slowed down, and I’ve been fluctuating between 181 and 184.  Even though I’ve continued running, I found myself overeating again.  Not to the extreme I am when out of control, but having seconds or an extra snack.  Just making poor decisions.  So I started monitoring my eating on My Fitness Pal and am getting back on track.

So I’m hoping that next week I’ll be in the 170s!  At 174, I’ll no longer be considered obese… just overweight!  Can’t wait to see my Mii thin down a little bit on Wii Fit 🙂  But ultimately, I don’t want to stay in the 170s long… I need to Keep Pressing On to get my body to a healthy weight.

Early last week I had a revelation that I think will help.  Prior to that, whenever I prayed about eating and losing weight, I kept praying that God would take my desire to eat outside of hunger away.  I kept praying that food and my weight wouldn’t be a life long battle.  I’ve often said that I don’t want to be counting calories at 50 years old.  I want to not have to worry about food.  I wanted to be “delivered” from my food issues.  Basically I didn’t want to fight.

My God is big enough to take away all desires I have for overeating, and I’d definitely be thrilled if he chose to.  But, last week I came to peace with the idea that food may be my lifelong battle.  And that was OK.  That I was willing to fight the battle every day of my life.  Because not fighting is no longer an option.  Because overeating was gluttony and that is sin.  Because overeating wreaks havoc on my body, my energy level, and my health.  Because overeating leads to depression.  So I will fight, every day.  Hopefully the fight will get easier… but even if it doesn’t, I’ll press on.

Reader, if this is a battle for you, please know that as I’m typing this, I’m praying for you too.  Praying that you will fight, that you will press on.  But I want to stress, that getting our body to a healthy weight will not make God love us any more than He does right now.  He loves us like crazy, extra weight and all.  When Christ died on the cross for our sins, it includes all those extra brownies, bowls of pasta, loaves of bread, and slices of pizza we’ve eaten!

In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  I separate this into 2 parts, “have life” and “have it to the full”.  God loves me exactly as I am and has forgiven my sins through Christ’s death so I have eternal life, even if I never lose any weight.  But when I choose to live my life surrendered to Jesus, following Him instead of sin, choosing to honor Him with my food choices and my activity choices, choosing to press on, I can have life to the full.  Maybe not a worldly, prosperity full.  But a life full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Pressing on Together,

♥Becki

P.S. Last week I had my annual GYN appointment and had to get on the scale.  This doctor’s office still has the old school scale where you have to slide the balances.  What a great feeling when the nurse only had to slide the first pointer to the 150 mark instead of the 200 mark.  (If you’ve ever been over 200 pounds, you know what I’m talking about!)  Hopefully at next year’s appointment, she’ll only have to slide it to the 100 mark!

Athletic

Outdoorsy

These are 2 words that definitely would not normally be used to describe me, and definitely would never have been used to describe me a year and a half ago.  So the fact that last weekend I willingly participated in, finished, and enjoyed a 5K mud run is bordering on miraculous.  Not part the Red Sea miraculous, but more of a my life is changing miraculous.

My friend Emily sent out an email a few months ago with this crazy idea to get a team together for a mud run.  I saw some of the other names she sent the email out to and they included major runners.  I’m not in their league!  The fact that she sent me the email was flattering.  Two years ago she definitely would not have included me in it.  I was the fat girl who had no interest in physical activity, if you’re going to a movie, invite me, but definitely not for something like that!  Last year she might have sent it to me knowing I was doing the Couch to 5K program.  But I would have never thought myself able to do it and would have declined.  But this year, when she sent out the email, I thought, “Hmmmm, maybe…”

I sent reply emails:

Once I signed up, I never wavered from the fact that I was going to do it.  But, I was definitely nervous for it.  The day came.  We drove 2 hours to get there.  I saw the obstacles.  I saw the hills.  And you know what?  Even though I was expecting it to be difficult, I knew I was going to be able to do it.   And I just took it all in and thought how far I’ve come!

The race began and the 11 girls in my group and I ran over a hay hill…

Ran up a mountain, through a rope course…

Jumped the tires…

Went through several mud pits (usually being splashed by our over-zealous friend Joli)…

Used ropes to go down steep hills…

Crawled through mud tunnels, under a net, and went over a wall (the obstacle that ahead of time I worried I wouldn’t be able to do)…

Went through more mud… some parts waist deep!

Went over tire swings…

And over a tall cargo net…

We laughed, we joked, we cheered for each other, we worked hard and we all did it!  At the end, I once again thought about how far I’ve come.

We got muddy… well, except for our one friend Deena who managed to stay pretty clean.  And although I’m not a total girly girl, getting muddy is not my norm.  Some women seemed to wear their mud like a badge of honor, but not me… I was ready to get it off.  Cleaning up with a garden hose is also not my norm… but that’s what we did.  I wouldn’t purposefully do that regularly… but for one day – it was fun!  (My girly girl side did come out after the race when I sat down on my bag in the changing tent to apply my makeup.)  And the hot shower later at home was heavenly!

So the moral of my story… never define yourself by things you’re not (I’m not athletic, I’m not outdoorsy)…  because who knows… that just might change!  And if I can do something like that, then pretty much anyone can.

Oh, and before I sign off for the day… several people have asked for a follow-up from Running Girl Adventures (part 1).  My youngest was sick, so we didn’t go on the field trip the day the random stranger, Sarah, was supposed to meet me to run.  I drove over with my son sitting in the van holding a bowl in case he got sick.  And we waited… but the random stranger never showed up.  I was there again today… but still no Sarah.  Wonder if I’ll ever see her again????

♥Becki

I had a running first today… and it wasn’t my time…

…although it was my second best time for 3 miles – I’m getting closer to an 11 minute mile!

As I was running, a random woman who was driving by in a mini van stopped, opened her window and started talking to me.  I assumed she was going to ask for directions, and although I wanted to be nice and helpful, I didn’t want to stop because I was timing myself.  But she didn’t ask for directions.  Instead she asked me something that stopped me in my tracks… well not fully stopped, I kept running in place as we talked.

She asked if I could use a running partner.  She was looking for someone to run with.  I said sure, that I was usually there every Tuesday and Thursday with my friend but she could join us too.  She said Thursdays didn’t work, but she’d meet us on Tuesday.  I was shocked!  As we smiled and waved she started to drive away saying, “See you Tuesday.”  Then she added, “Oh, by the way, I’m Sarah.”  I told her my name, and then she drove away.

As I ran on, I replayed the scene in my head.  To me, it was just so crazy because I would have never done that.  Ask a complete stranger to be a running partner?  Nope, I’m not that type of person.  But I did go on Facebook and ask my Facebook friends if someone would run with me.  Out of that, I got a running partner, who we both agree that the “free therapy” of talking is almost as important as the exercise we get from running.  But if no one would have responded, I would have simply been left without a partner.  So the incentive this woman took completely impressed me.  And what was it about me that encouraged her to stop… was I going slow enough that she thought, “I could do that too”?  Or was I going fast enough that she thought, “That’s the extra challenge that I need”?  Hmmm, I’ll have to ask her on Tuesday.  I’ll admit though, a huge part of me is doubting she’ll show up.  But I hope she does.

But… Oh No!!!!  As I’m typing this, I realized I’m chaperoning a kindergarten field trip on Tuesday.  If she shows up, I won’t be there!  I guess if my friend is still able to run, I’ll have her look for Sarah.  But what if my friend doesn’t run either?  Should I try to post a sign somewhere:

But where would I post a sign like that… oh my.  The crazy adventures of a running girl!  I’ll let you know what happens.

Before I sign off for the day, I have to brag celebrate a little.  I am officially the lowest weight that I’ve been since my first pregnancy over 11 years ago!  Not quite at that pre-pregnancy weight, but getting closer.  But even then, I had just “lost” weight and only had it off for less than a year.  But I’m determined that I’ve thrown this weight away, not lost it to be found again.  So, yay me!  I still have a long way to go, and God still has a lot of work to do in my heart about desiring Him more than brownies or pizza… but I’ve also come so far.

♥Becki, imperfect running girl

“You didn’t lose weight.  Losing implies that you want to find it again.  You got rid of it.”  A friend recently said this to me when I told her how much weight I’ve “lost”.  As someone who has lost weight several times only to gain it back again, that really stuck with me.

Last week (before it got cold again) I was rearranging my drawers and closets.  I pulled out my winter clothes to put up into the attic.  Many of them are too big already and some are close to being too big.  As I started to put them in a bin to stow away, I thought about what my friend had said.  If I truly got rid of that weight, then I wouldn’t need these clothes next year or ever.  Could I be bold enough to just get rid of them?   But what if????  There’s nothing worse than having to buy more clothes because your clothes are too small.  So it’s nice to have a stash tucked away just in case.  But should I really give myself a just in case?

I asked Jeff what he thought… should I get rid of them or keep them just in case.  “Get rid of them,” He assured me.  So now, I have them bagged up and in my van to take to Good Will.  I have to admit, it’s hard to do.  I really want to take them out of the van and hide them up in the attic.  But I really, really don’t ever want to fit in them again.  So I plan on taking them over today.

Last year, I “lost” weight only to find some of it back again.  I’ve been working hard to get rid of it again, and now I’m 1 pound higher than my lowest weight last spring.  Soon, I’ll be onto new weight to get rid of, and I’m so excited about that.  I’m praying I don’t sabotage myself… in my mental picture of who I am, I am a fat girl who weighs within a 20 pound range.  If I’m over it or at the high-end, I need to lose weight.  If I’m at the low-end, I usually feel pretty good.  Right now, I’m at the very low-end of it.   When I hit this point last year, I think I unconsciously… or is it subconsciously… whatever, I stopped trying to “lose” weight and then started gaining.  Could it be because I don’t picture myself as someone who weighs less than this?

Oh, Jesus, help me to see me as you see me.  Help me to take care of this body.  Help me to find delight in you and not in food.  Help me to continue to get rid of this extra weight and to never “find” it again.  Oh, and Jesus, I pray that I will not regret giving these clothes to Good Will!

♥Becki

P.S. I started typing this earlier and since then I dropped the clothes off!

On Saturday morning, I bundled up and headed out for a run.  It was cold and windy but sunny.  And it was early… well early to me (8:30), I would have much rather been home snuggled up in bed for a lazy morning.

When I run, I usually go to a local park that I run laps around.  Each lap is a 1/2 mile so I shoot for 6 laps.  On this particular morning, the bright sun was shining on my face for 1/2 the lap and on my back the rest.  When the sun was behind me, it was so cold.  The wind was also blowing in my face and every step was hard, even the steps that were slightly downhill.

At one part, with the sun at my back, I looked down at my shadow.  As I did, I let myself get frustrated with how “wide” my shadow was. I got down on myself for how poorly I’ve taken care of myself in the past, that I allowed myself to live so overweight.  And each step became harder.  I wanted to give up, to quit, to go home and crawl back in bed, perhaps after grabbing a donut from the Dunkin…

But then I turned the corner.

And the sun was shining on my face.  The wind was at my back.  Instantly I felt better, stronger, faster.  With the sun in front of me, I could no longer see my shadow as it was behind me.  I no longer was dwelling on my past failures.  I was pressing on, running towards the sun.  While running uphill, I actually began smiling.

But then I had to turn back away from the sun.  As I saw my shadow again, I started to ponder how affected I was by the sun.  And then my thoughts turned towards Christ.  And what I felt was a perfect analogy developed in my thoughts…

When I am going through life on my own, not running towards Christ, but running after my own desires, the course can be hard,  bitter and miserable.  When my eyes are on me and my short-comings and my past failures, I can be overcome with depression and defeat.

But when I’m running towards Christ, the course may still be hard, but I feel energized and equipped to face the challenges.  I am more joyful.  I “forget the former things” and “press on to the prize”.

When I run laps, I have to run with both the sun on my back and shining on my face… but when I go through life, I want to run towards the Son and not away from it.

Oh, Coke Zero, it’s been a week since we we’ve seen each other.  I thought I’d miss you, but honestly, I don’t.  Although I’ve always loved you and used to drink 24 or more ounces of you a day, I’m finding that water tastes much better.  I’m not promising I won’t come back to you (in  moderation), but for now, I’m keeping my distance.  Because, honestly you haven’t loved me back.  You’ve filled my body with all sorts of chemicals and crap.  You’re also a waste of my money… $3 for a glass of you at a restaurant… ridiculous!

For the first time ever, I’m giving something up for lent: chemical preservatives / additives / sweeteners / emulsifiers in foods, grains that have been refined or bleached, and basically non fruit desserts.  It’s actually been easier than I’ve thought, so far I’m not craving anything or having to use great restraint to keep from eating something.  (I am still feeding my kids semi-normally though.)

So why am I doing this?  To be honest, it’s a spiritual thing.  When I read the bible, I notice that oftentimes there are 40 day fasts mentioned.  I’m pretty sure in those times when they did a 40 day fast, they spent the day praying, not going about their normal routines of taking care of children, laundry, homes, going to work, whatever.   So for me, I don’t think a true 40 day fast is realistic, so this is my version.  I’m fasting from something that I’ve grown accustomed to, something that I’ve felt entitled to.   I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and saying, “God, I need you more than I want those things.”

But I am ultimately hoping this time will be full of health benefits as well.  I’m hoping that it will “cleanse” my system.  I’m hoping that it will give me a jump-start on what has become a stagnant weight loss journey.  I’m hoping that it will help me feel good.  I’m hoping that it will help me develop life long habits and find new foods that I like.

So for now, I’ll go finish my lunch… a glass of lemon water, a tuna wrap (chunk tuna that was packed in water only, carrots, red peppers, drizzled with fresh lemon juice, rolled up in lettuce), a handful of sweet potato chips prepared with sunflower oil and sea salt followed by raisins to end with something sweet.  Who knew that I’d find this lunch so absolutely delicious… me, the girl who used to (you know, a week ago) prefer her tuna mixed with mayo and relish on a good roll or bread with potato chips that were probably fried in partially hydrogenated oil, followed by a few Oreos, all while drinking a coke zero…

♥Becki

Have you ever watched Biggest Loser?  Sometimes as I watch the weigh in segment I wonder if I would be able to do that.  Would I be able to go on national television in tight shorts and a sports bra and stand on a scale for my weight to be displayed to all?  I noticed that on the first couple of episodes the ladies all look uncomfortable and they have their arms folded awkwardly in front of their bellies.  But by the end, even if they are still over 200 pounds, they stand there naturally with their arms at their sides, not trying to hide anything.  Why, because they are so proud of themselves that they feel like a supermodel… well maybe not quite a supermodel, but pretty close.

Last summer for one of the few times in my life, I comfortably walked around in a bathing suit, not reaching for a cover-up the instant I got out of the pool or ocean.  Why?  Because I had just lost weight and was consistently running and I felt good about myself.  Don’t get me wrong, my XL size body was still overweight and not going to land me any New York & Co. modeling gigs, but I could fit in their clothes instead of having to go to Lane Bryant for their plus size selection.

So here’s what I’ve learned – when I am taking care of myself, eating well, exercising, speaking kindly to myself, treating myself as God’s masterpiece, it doesn’t matter what size I am, I can be comfortable in my skin.  I can proudly walk around because I know my past failures of overeating and laziness are forgiven and that I am pressing on to take care of myself.

But when I’m not taking care of myself… when I’m overeating, when I’m skipping exercise for a nap or television show, then I feel like a fat blob.  It’s a downward spiral from there, I am unhappy so I eat more.  I don’t want to put on a bathing suit or shorts and play with my kids.  I have no energy so I lay around more.  My self talk becomes very hateful and destructive.  And it usually takes awhile for me to hear God whispering that…

He loves me no matter what weight I am.   

He loves me with an everlasting love not because of what I do or what I’ve done, but because of who I am – His creation, His daughter, His beloved, His masterpiece.

And when those words penetrate my heart, I know I need to take care of myself.  Not to earn or deserve God’s love, but in response to it.  I start eating better.  I start exercising.  I start getting more energy.  I start smiling more.  I start speaking kindly to myself.  I start forgiving myself.  I start walking around comfortably in a bathing suit…

So I wonder dear reader… today, Valentine’s Day, do you know that you are God’s beloved?  Do you know that He loves you with an everlasting love whether you are a size 2, 12, 22 or 32?  Let that love take hold of you… and treat yourself well, after all you are God’s prized possession.

♥Becki

No training words of wisdom today… other than Nike’s famous words: “Just do it” and a funny story.  I’m sitting here, showered and feeling good after a run/walk with a friend.  I really think the hardest part of exercising is motivating yourself to do it.  Last Thursday was especially hard, motivation wise, for me since my boys had off of school.  But I knew I needed to, so we headed to the park for a run.  My oldest decided he’d rather go into the library than run so that’s where he went.  My younger 2 decided to run with me.

My 7-year old is faster than me, so he was ahead of us as we ran around the park.  He’d run, stop and walk, notice us getting closer than start to run again.  This continued for 2 1/2 laps.  Then up ahead I see a police man get out of his car and approach my son.  He stopped my son, talked to him, and then my son continued running.  I wondered what he said to my son, as I was too far back to hear.  I then realized I wouldn’t have to wonder too long because the cop was now approaching me.

Of course my mind starts going 100 miles per hour (much faster than my legs) as I try to predict what the cop is going to say to me.  Am I a negligent mom for not keeping my son right next to me?  Is he going to report me to child protective services?  Is what I’m doing wrong?  The cop approaches me and for whatever reason I decide to not stop running.  Not that I was running away from the cop, but I let him walk next to me and talk while I continued running.

“Are you ___’s mom?”  “Yes I am.”  “He told me he’s exercising with his mom.”  “Yep, but he’s faster than me.”  “Well, I had to check because someone called us to report a child that looked lost running around the park.”  “Oh, no he’s not lost.”

I had to give him my name, date of birth, and address.  The cop assured me that I wasn’t in trouble, that he just had to follow-up on the phone call.  Before he left, he even praised us for exercising.  But by the time I got around to my son, he had quit and was sitting on a bench ready to go home, “Right now!”  Being stopped by a cop really freaked him out and he didn’t want to keep going.

I then started looking around at the other moms at the playground a little suspiciously (I assumed one of them didn’t think I was being a good mom and called the police).  I told my son, very loudly, that the police man said it was good that we were exercising and that we didn’t have to stop.   You see, this is a downtown park of our borough and there are always kids all over unchaperoned.  So it’s a little hard to believe that someone was worried about this 7-year-old boy who was obviously running laps around the park.   So I was feeling a little angry that someone had “the nerve” to call the police on me.

Of course there is an off-chance that someone really did think he was lost and was concerned and all.  If so, thank you, kind stranger, for caring enough about my son to call the police.  But regardless of whether your intentions were good or not, now my son doesn’t want to run again.   And that really stinks.

I guess that will have to motivate me to get faster so I can tell my son that I can keep up with him.

♥Becki

Update: So I just reread my post and I have to apologize for the tone… it’s just dripping with sarcasm and negativity – but my intention was for it to be a light-hearted, funny post.  Truly, I can laugh at the story… I mean how many people can say they were stopped by the police while running?  Do you have any funny exercise stories???