I really haven't been gone, but I haven't blogged in 6 months. While I haven't made much progress in losing weight in that time, I haven't gained either. What I have made progress with is my running. Back in June I was struggling to get back up to running for 30 minutes after having slacked on my running in China. Now I have finished two more 5Ks, each time acheiving a PR, and my first 10K, finishing in a respectable time of 1 hour 10 minutes. I am now training for a half marathon with my inspiring friend Lab-Lover. If it wasn't for her I'm not sure I'd even still be running now. Yesterday we ran 8 miles and covered a total of 9.13 miles. It's amazing to me how far we've both come. Doing this is so much easier with a friend. I've also turned my niece into a runner in the last 6 months. In late October we ran a 5K together, her first, and she came in second in her age group for females, winning a certificate for a free pair of shoes from the New Balance outlet. It was amazing. I am so proud of her. So now I run with Lab-Lover, my niece Rachel, and my friend Alice. I love it, and I love being a runner. I'm amazed that I'm running outside in 30 degree weather, and with a cold. I would have said someone who did that was crazy. Now I'm doing it! It feels great to have committed to something and to actually be following through with it and seeing results in terms of increased endurance. I am a very different person than I was this time last year. I'm 20 pounds less, physically fit when I had no fitness whatsoever, and full of self-esteem. Also, my cholesterol has come down from 217 to 197 points. It is so exciting to see results like these. They will keep me going and inspired.