{"id":25922,"date":"2014-02-28T07:58:09","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T12:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fitzness.com\/blog\/?p=25922"},"modified":"2015-03-09T13:19:02","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T18:19:02","slug":"cindy-coates-from-broken-couch-potato-to-distance-runner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitzness.com\/blog\/cindy-coates-from-broken-couch-potato-to-distance-runner\/","title":{"rendered":"Cindy Coates: From Broken Couch Potato to Distance Runner"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Progression\"<\/a>Cindy Coates, Database Specialist, Somerset, Massachusetts<\/strong><\/div>\n
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1. What were you like before your transformation?\u00a0<\/span><\/span> <\/strong>I was broken couch potato before I realized I needed to do something.\u00a0 A lot of back pain, no ambition, etc. I never exercised because of doctors\u2019 orders. I was told that because of my bad back that exercising, bike riding, rollerblading etc. was out. As far as people who did distance races \u2013 I thought they were nuts. I always would say that you would never catch me doing a half marathon (I just finished my 6th<\/sup> half and 8th<\/sup> long distance).<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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\u00a02. What inspired you to get fit\/lose weight?<\/span><\/span> <\/strong>My inspiration was two-fold. I was very tired of the back pain and the lethargic feeling all the time.\u00a0 I also saw a very unflattering picture of myself in a bathing suit. My upper thigh was disgusting!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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3. How did you get started? <\/span><\/span><\/strong>Disney had announced their new Tower of Terror 10 mile<\/a> race and I thought that this was a good way to get started into running. I had done a few 5Ks with them and it wasn\u2019t a half, so I felt comfortable signing up for it.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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4. What have you accomplished since you put your foot down? <\/span><\/span><\/strong>I have lost some much-needed weight and put my body parts back to where they belong. I am also now running half marathons which I said I would never do, and improving my time with every one.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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5. What has been the most challenging part of your transformation? <\/span><\/span><\/strong>Getting people to understand how important this is for me. Running, surprisingly has not been hard. Finding the time in bad weather (snow and all) is, so I bought a treadmill.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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6. Most fun part of the new you?<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Liking my body again and buying new clothes!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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7. Tell us about your experiences with races.<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Every race I finish is a success. My times have always been close, within a few minutes of each other. But recently, I shaved 18 minutes off of my half marathon time. This is the new goal to maintain.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Cindy<\/a>

Cindy with Pluto and friends after runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon<\/p><\/div>\n

8. Tell us about the running community you’re now part of.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/strong>I belong to Pacebook Running Club and Team Expedition (both on Facebook). The first group was not hard to get into and very welcoming. Everyone is friendly. The second group is a spin-off of the first. It has a paid membership and a lot of the same members. Both groups are encouraging and easy to talk to.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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9. How much weight have you lost? <\/span><\/span><\/strong>From the first bathing suit picture (170) to now, I’ve lost a total of 30 lbs. From 2011 to my first race in 2012 I was down 10 lbs with a lot of \u201croller coaster\u201d ups and downs. This Christmas I weighed in at 150 and have lost 10 more lbs since.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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10. What’s next?<\/span><\/span><\/strong> Hmm, I would like to lose another 10 lbs. and get faster in the half marathon races. I\u2019d like to say a full marathon, but a half is still a lot for me.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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11. Favorite training song:<\/span><\/span><\/strong> I have two that seem to push me now. “Breathe” & “You\u2019re Still the One”. They are both 155 BPM<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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12. Favorite race:<\/span><\/span><\/strong> run<\/a>Disney Wine & Dine<\/a> half marathon. It\u2019s a night race and a lot of fun afterwards.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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13. Advice for beginners:<\/span><\/span><\/strong> Start slow. Do a few 5Ks to get the feel for the distance. I like the 10K (6.2 miles) best, which is new to most races. They are a nice transition from the 5K. And then I would certainly try a 10 miler before a half.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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14. Anything else you’d like to share?<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. If they do, then I would use that as an inspiration to do it anyhow!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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