There is nothing better than reading or hearing the story of someone who has found running and is about to complete their first big race. No matter how many inspiring stories I read about awesome people who have become fit, lost weight and have found true joy in their lives from running, it never gets old. It inspires me. It motivates me. It PUMPS ME UP!

That’s why I’m excited to share Christina Howell’s story with you today. Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are all about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories. Their stories are about the journey of transforming from ordinary to extraordinary each and every day.

“Continuing to overcome those voices that say “I can’t,” “I don’t want to,” “I don’t feel like it.” That is the accomplishment I’m most proud of.” ~Christina Howell

Meet Christina. She’s a mom of 2 girls, a wife, a professional classical singer, a teacher and now a runner! She has gone from 160 pounds to 116 and will run her first half marathon at the end of October. As a fellow Atlantan, I’ve gotten the chance to get to know Christina, and I’m so inspired by her transformative story and her determination. Check out my interview with this awesome runner.

How long have you been running, and what inspired you to start?
I started running in late December 2011. My inspiration to start initially came from a desire to lose weight. In April 2011, I was riding bikes with my 2 daughters and fell sideways, spraining my foot badly. As the ground seemed like it was rushing toward my face in slow motion, I realized that my body was not responding like it used to. After my fall, I admitted to myself that I couldn’t keep calling the extra weight I was carrying around “baby” weight anymore when the “baby” was 6 ½ years old! I was on crutches for a long time and really missed being active.

When I was finally cleared to exercise again, I began by using the Wii Fit. I tried to do this every morning before my children woke up. As I gained confidence, I started going out in the neighborhood to walk and also joined a gym. I started attending a mat Pilates class and using the treadmill and other machines there. I scheduled these workouts into my teaching schedule so that I would be sure to keep that appointment with myself. By the end of the semester, I was feeling pretty confident and thought I would give running a try. It was something I’d always wanted to do, but whenever I’d tried before, it just hurt! I realized that I’d been trying to go too far at too fast a pace. By using the Couch to 5K plan and limiting my speeds to around 4 mph, I was able to gradually build up to running longer and longer intervals. A marathon-running friend suggested that I sign up for a 5K near our home town, and I did. My only goal was to run the entire way. I didn’t care how fast I went; I just wanted to run the whole time. My time was 36:52. I felt that was pretty respectable, all things considered! After that, the same friend suggested I join a running group, and through that process, I have been training for my first half marathon, which will be on October 27!

Finish this sentence: I run because _______________________.
I run because it makes me feel strong. It gives me confidence that I can set a goal and achieve it. It makes my posterior higher and firmer and because I like to EAT!

What is your favorite race distance? Why?
I am always racing against my inner, less confident self so in a certain sense, every run is a race. Therefore, my favorite race distance is the race from what I THINK I can do to what I ACTUALLY can do. I remember the week I increased from 9 miles to 10 miles. That was such a psychological barrier for me! Even though it was only 1 mile more!

What running/racing accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am most proud of getting myself out there and doing it. That is my accomplishment. Continuing to overcome those voices that say “I can’t,” “I don’t want to,” “I don’t feel like it.” That is the accomplishment I’m most proud of.

What is the hardest challenge you have had to overcome? How did you do it?
There have been two hard challenges that I’ve had to overcome. The first was psychological and I mentioned it above. Increasing from 9 miles to 10 miles. To overcome this, I acknowledged that I was nervous about it. Afraid, really. I planned to arrive at the start location for my training run a little early so I could have a few moments to myself to calm down. I relied on my training group to keep me paced and motivated. I made a promise to myself to keep going no matter what. (I knew I could do it since I had just done 9 miles the week before.)

The second challenge was physical. There is this hill in the park where I like to run. It is long and steep and just – HARD! It had been kicking my booty all summer. One day, the same running friend I mentioned above came with me on my trail run. She is a much more experienced runner and seriously faster than me. She just kept going up that blasted hill and when she got to the crest (about 50 feet in front of me), she made this funny and cool victory pose and I thought – “just keep going.” And I did it! There is a little bit more to go before the hill is really over, but that signified the end of the hardest part. I haven’t run the whole way up that hill every time since then, but now I know I can.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start running or who thinks they can’t do it?
I would say “embrace the slowness.” I really think that was the one thing that made the difference with my beginning to run this time. I stayed intentionally really slow. Combining that pace with the gradual build-up of run/walk ratio was exactly the right combination for me. I started on the treadmill so that I could control my pace and make sure I wasn’t going too fast to quickly.

What is your running mantra(s)?

• “I can do it.”
• “I am strong.”
• “Only four stop signs and I am done.”
• “Only 30 seconds more.”

What running gear do you never run without?
I have recently become aware of the difference a great pair of socks can make. My favorites are the Balega Hidden Comfort.

What keeps you hydrated and fueled the best (us runners are always looking for the best tips and secrets on nutrition!)?
Since I am so new to endurance running, I don’t have a lot of experience with the different options. What I like during a long run is Accelerade (fruit punch flavor) because it has electrolytes and protein. I have yet to get hungry during a run or sore after a run. I have one of those extremely unattractive belts but I like it because I can carry 2 different bottles: one with plain water and 1 with Accelerade.

I also carry FRS chews. I like these energy chews because they were created for chemotherapy patients so they taste good and aren’t too sweet and therefore don’t make me nauseous. I don’t use these regularly since I started drinking the Accelerade, but they are a nice option if I need them. I am still working out the best pre-run eats. Usually, I will have a cereal bar when I wake up, which gives me about 45 minutes before running. However, I have recently been experimenting with what I can eat before a run that won’t cause problems. So far, about 4 ounces of Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit works. Since that worked well, I want to give Refrigerator Oatmeal a try before a run.

What’s on your iPod right now?
If you saw my iTunes library, you would wonder if I had split personality! I have so many different styles of music. Since I am a professional classical musician (singer), there is a lot of classical vocal music. However, I tend not to listen to classical vocal music while running since I usually listen too intently and lose focus. Here’s what I love listening to lately:

Running Bluegrass:
Chris Thile and Michael Daves’ CD includes virtuosic playing and sincere, heart-felt music making. The intensity of their work together is contagious and they bring out the best in each other and in me. Favorites for my running list include; “My Little Girl in Tennessee” and “Rabbit in the Log.” I like this when I want to go FAST!

Running African:
I like Afro-Pop music. (Think the inspiration for Paul Simon’s Graceland CD). It has a happy, positive vibe with a relaxed, easy way about it. Here is a sample. One of my favorites is Yousou N’Dour. I like this music when I am either feeling really good and want to just make it that much more fun or sometimes, when I am crabby and don’t want to run. This can easily turn me around. I imagine I am Tirunesh Dibaba who seemingly easily won so many long-distance running medals last summer!

And this led me to some other discoveries. Madou Djembe is an African percussionist. The music is purely percussion, keeps a very steady beat and is interesting enough to stay connected but not so complex that it is distracting. There is a sort of “zen” feel to it. I like running with this music when I am not really in the mood for either music or silence.

Running Chill:
I have another list that is full of easy-going (mostly 80s) favorites when I just need to sloooooowwwww down and enjoy the journey.

Running Classical:
Sometimes I want the steady tempo of a piece of classical music. For this, I usually choose Baroque music – specifically Bach. My favorite is the Brandenburg Concerti.

Running Happy:
This is the list I use most. It is self-explanatory and contains any song that makes me happy. This list contains my “theme songs” that I sing in my head when I need to inspire confidence in myself. Songs with positive texts such as “Believe it or Not, I’m walkin’ on air” from the old show Greatest American Hero which is a TOTAL cheese-fest but it works.

What are you most passionate about? What inspires you the most in life?
I suppose, based on the above, the answer would apparently be music! But actually I am most inspired to be the best me I can be so that my kids, husband, students etc. can get the best I have to offer.

If applicable, what are your 3 favorite running blogs or Web sites?
In addition to rUnladylike, I also like Run Like a Mother, Runs for Cookies and Faux Runner.

Thank you Christina for sharing your story with us! Your weight-loss and running journey gives us all extra inspiration. I’m so excited for you to do your first half-marathon next month! If you or someone you know would be a great candidate for Friday FITspiration, email me at runladylike@gmail.com.

What inspires you most about Christina’s story? Christina is a huge music buff. What is your favorite music to listen to while on the run?