37

As I was on my way home from work today, I started doing some math. The answer to the simple subtraction problem that I did was 37.

At one point in the last two years, I had reached 175 pounds. I had started to try to work out after my mom had her heart attack in 2010. It never quite took hold and I didn't get in the habit. I kept going back and forth from being active to not being active.

Strangely enough, it took an unusual turn of events to put me on the path I am now. In late July 2011, I started losing my appetite. I started losing weight. I figured it would pass. But I finally went to the doctor in late September and after a full blood panel, I found out I had mono. AGAIN.

You see, I had mono back in college. I thought you couldn't get it again. I thought wrong. After a few more weeks, things started getting back to normal a bit. I slowly started to eat again but I wasn't quite gaining much weight back. But I wasn't losing any. Fast forward to March of this year...

Somehow, I decided to start running. This is pretty shocking, since my idea of "running the mile" in high school was to walk the entire thing because I had to finish to get a passing grade in gym. I was slow. I AM slow.

Since I started in March, I've been on a roller coaster. I've lost more weight, I've run faster, I've run longer. I've run slower and shorter distances. I've gone out for only a 1.5 mile run; I've done a 5 mile run. I run, but I'm not a runner. I ran my first 5K in June and have run about 5-6 more since then.

So that brings me back to 37. Today, I'm at 138 pounds (give or take, depending on how much I ate). In a lot of ways, I'm still surprised. Surprised that this whole thing was kickstarted by being sick. Surprised that I even began running. Surprised that I've actually liked and stuck with running. Surprised that I look and feel so different.

Sometimes, I don't know quite how to feel about it. It can change at any time. But today, the number is 37.