Featured Article by Organic Liaison Member Sunny S., who has lost over 60 pounds on the Organic Liaison program. She’s gone from a size 16 to a size 8.

Next to thousands of people lined up in their respective corrals, I stood at the edge of the orange fence designating my pace group. A mix of emotions flowed through my body as my eyes focused on the ground beneath me. A year ago, I could not even spend more than 20 minutes at the gym, and here I was, about to take on 13.1 miles.

Earlier that week marked my one-year anniversary on the Organic Liaison program. Having built up a strong foundation of healthy habits, I was ready to put my marathon training to the test. I knew this run would be a reminder of how far I have come as well as a glimpse into the next level of what I can achieve. I welcomed the challenge.

As a runner, every run has come down to my ability to focus on positives and filter out everything else. If I am not mentally setting myself up for success, I am more likely to give in or give up. Becoming healthy, I have learned, is a largely mental journey. It takes practice and courage to get past moments of potential self-sabotage. Sometimes I have to trust what I cannot see.

The Organic Liaison program has given me the ability to be mentally tough. It has taught me that I can make changes and revise as I go—without compromising my goals. I have learned that with practice and focus anything is possible: whether it’s achieving a weight loss goal, changing bad habits into healthy ones, or strengthening my inner voice of encouragement against my own fear.

Over the past year, I’d changed everything within and around me. And now, it was time to for my healthy self to shine in this marathon. Suddenly, I knew that the skills Organic Liaison taught me would be the same ones I’d need to complete my first half marathon.

With that thought, I was off—weaving in and out of runners and down the next few streets. I started strong, nearly 30 minutes ahead of my pace group for the first 5 miles. As my feet hit the pavement, my journey of transformation flashed before me: the moment I started Organic Liaison; when I began running 4 months ago; now, being 63 lbs lighter, stronger, and an athlete in action. The first 6 miles were all about celebration; the second half would soon test everything in me.

It is very easy as a runner to get mentally distracted. You need to have a strong game plan and unshakable intention. My intention was to celebrate and push on. When it got hard I thought of Kristie, of all of the amazing people out there adopting the Organic Liaison lifestyle, and of their tenacity. I realized that changing your diet is like running: you have to follow through to see results; you have to slow down and ask your body what it honestly needs—whether that’s fuel or exercise.

When my shoes started to bother me, I set an intention to stay strong. When other runners passed me, I made a commitment to not pit myself anyone else, to not compare my journey to theirs, and to not place misguided judgment. I reminded myself that I started running in January and that this race was teaching me where I needed more pace work. I pushed harder when I thought about giving up. I asked my body when it needed water and when it craved organic sports chews. I ran up and down each street listening to my body.

By mile 6, I realized I had made a rookie mistake. I had gone out too fast, knowing I would not be able to keep that pace. It would have been easy to give up then; I could have let a ton of fears creep in. Instead, I told myself: “Sunny, it’s okay, you’ve got this…slow down and celebrate.” I pushed on, slowing down to accept a more consistent pace that would allow me to finish strong. I stopped running so fast but did not make excuses to allow myself to slow down too much.

By mile 9, the treading on my shoes was worn down and I could feel the pavement. By mile 11, I was tired. My feet were heavy.  As I hit mile 12, I needed motivation to finish. I thought of how grateful my body was to be 63lbs lighter.  As my feet got heavy my heart got stronger. I fought back with attitude. I wanted to walk, though I knew that if I did, I would not be able to start running again. The last half-mile was the toughest. But in the end, I ran 13.1 miles without ever walking.

With tears in my eyes, I finally crossed the finish line, 13 minutes faster than my pace goal.

Love Sunny’s Story?

Read more about how she went from a size 16 to a size 8.

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