Here’s what Stephanie wrote me when nominating her “momma bear” Marina:

In January 2013 I challenged both my Mom and my Dad to go to the gym every day. They were rewarded handsomely with a Ruth Chris Happy Hour trip. Then my little sister up’d the ante and said if they went every SINGLE day for 2013 she would treat them to a cruise of their choice. Mind you, both were over weight, on various medications, and recently retired.

As of December 31, 2013 they completed and WON the bet! But the bigger story came when my Mom, who started increasing her mileage while doing the bet, finally accepted my next challenge of running her first half marathon, which she did in March 2014.

She has pushed herself harder in the last year and a half than she has ever in her LIFE! It is inspiring to turn the tables and cheer for a parent, rather than her cheering at my races or soccer matches. She hasn’t stopped just because the bets have stopped. Fitness is still a priority and we are still working to convince her to do another race.

I was active while I was going to college.  I rode my bike all over since I didn’t have a car of my own – I had to share one with my brother. I worked at a bakery and usually rode my bike to get there.  I worked there part time for several years and did not gain any weight.  I did enjoy the delicious treats of the bakery too.

I did not work out while I was pregnant.  No excuses, just lazy.  I did have morning sickness all day long for the whole nine months. I gained less than 10 lbs during each of my pregnancies, but both my kids were born healthy.

Growing up I was not overweight.  I started to gain weight when I started going out with my husband.  It was a gradual gaining of weight.  Over the years  it was not being active, eating poorly, too much and too often. Taking the kids to practice and going to their various games and then getting fast food for dinner because it was easier than trying to cook.  In other words, life.

What did you think when Stephanie first offered you the bet to go to the gym every day for a month? 

When Stephanie, challenged me, the ‘prize’ was that she would treat me to happy hour at Ruth Chris’ Steak House.  I thought it wouldn’t be too hard and I knew it would be good for me.  So I started going to the gym.  I worked out every day for a month and won the bet.  Boy, did I enjoy that happy hour treat.

And what about the second bet from Stephanie’s sister? That was a whole different beast, right? Working out every day for a year – what was that like?

Yes, the next thing I knew, my other daughter, Michelle, made a bet with her father (Sonny) and me.  We had to go to the gym and work out  every day for a year, or we could go walking/running outside.  I had to go at least a mile on the treadmill and since Sonny had hurt his leg, he could use the stationary bike or elliptical for two miles.  If we completed the year, Michelle would treat us to a cruise.  If we didn’t make it, we would have to buy her a bed.  There were no excuses either.  It didn’t matter if we got sick or hurt, we still had to work out.  She was tough. I thought there was no way I could workout every day for a year.

For some crazy reason, we agreed to the bet.  If we did it we got a free cruise and if we didn’t we could afford to get her a bed. I knew it would help me lose weight and get healthier.

How difficult was it to go through with the challenge of working out every single day, with no excuses?

On January 1, 3013 we started the bet.  It was so hard to get to the gym every day.  I was still working then, starting at 6:30am and getting off at 3:00pm.  I didn’t want to get up any earlier than I already was, so I went after work, to beat the crowd at the gym.  If I was too tired, I would wait until after dinner and go around 9:00 or 10:00, again to beat the crowd.   I started out walking and running on the treadmill.  I didn’t go very fast.  I built up to running a mile.  I would add more distance in half mile increments and try to increase the speed.  To this day I am still not very fast.  I run about a 14 minute mile.  But I figure slow is better than not doing anything.

When I first started my face would get beet red and I would be so tired.  I would go home, take my shower and go to bed.  Then one day I noticed my face wasn’t getting red any more.

In the beginning, it took a lot of effort.  I had to take it day by day and set little goals for myself because a whole year was daunting.  So I told myself I can make it to the gym for a couple days in a row and then after a couple days I can make it for week, and so on.  I got a calendar to mark off every day completed.  It helped to see how many days I made it.  Eventually it changed from, “Are we going to the gym?” to “What time are we going to the gym?”  It also got easier when I stopped working.  I figured I didn’t have an excuse not to go and I could go at any time.

How did you get through the days when it was challenging to fit in your workout?

I made working out a priority.  If we had a party to go to or had plans for the day, I made sure I worked out in the morning.  Sometimes I couldn’t make to to the gym in the morning so I made sure I went at night.  One time I remember going to the gym at 11:30 at night.  I tried to make it a twofer since I left after midnight to go home.  My daughter wasn’t going for it.  I still had to go again in the morning.  I knew I would have to, but I thought I would try.

I tried not to let anything stop me from working out and losing the bet.  When we went on vacation, I got a hotel with a gym.  If there was no gym, I would go running outside.

I have diabetes and my goal was to get off the medicine I was taking.  I am happy to say that I reached that goal in September 2013.  A lot of hard work and determination made that possible.

It was a long year, but we won the bet.

And…how was the cruise?

We have not gone on our cruise yet.  We are planning to cruise to Hawaii later this year.  But we are not making Michelle pay for it.  I would not feel right making her spend that much money.  We told her she could treat us to an excursion instead.

You’re a half marathoner now, as well! Tell me what that was like, training for a distance you weren’t sure you could complete.

Yes, Stephanie issued me another challenge. If I ran a half marathon she would pay for the training.  I thought, “You’re crazy, there’s no way I could or would want to run 13.1 miles.”  But I gave it a lot of thought and decided I would take her up on the challenge.  In the middle of January 2014 I started a nine week training program with Fleet Feet. I trained to run/walk the half marathon.  I did that by running for three minutes then walking a minute.  My training group met twice a week – on Wednesdays we did speed training and on Sunday mornings we did our long runs.  I never thought I’d be outside running in the rain but I did it and it wasn’t bad.  I learned about hydration and fueling my body during the run.  I trained hard and knew I was ready for the race.

What was your experience like, when race day arrived? Were you still concerned you wouldn’t make it?

By race day, the only concern I had was that it was going to be 80° and I wasn’t used to running in the heat, since I’d trained in the winter.  It was hard, but Michelle ran with me and gave me a lot of encouragement and help.  She would stop and fill up my water bottle for me so I could continue.  I was almost at the end when I got a leg cramp that was horrible.  I had never gotten any leg cramps in my training.  I stretched my calf a little, sucked it up and was able to run the last 0.3 miles to the finish.  I had a goal of finishing the half marathon in 3 hours.  I was able to complete the half marathon in two hours 51 minutes and 37 seconds.

I was a little sore, but I still worked out the next day. I am a beast.

You definitely are a beast! You have such an amazing story. How do you feel, after accomplishing such huge goals? How did it feel to have your daughters be the ones to push you to get fit again?

I know the reason my daughters challenged me was to get me to be healthier.  I am thankful for them, because it worked.  I would not have done any of this on my own.  My daughters are my inspiration.

I am living proof that it is never too late to start getting healthy.  Who would have thought an overweight 59 year old woman could accomplish what I did? You just have to start out slow and work at your own pace.  It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you go, it just matters that you get out and do something.  With determination and hard work you can do anything you want.  I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished.

My journey is not over.  I still continue to workout every day.  It has been over 17 months since I started working out and I’m still going strong.  If I can do it so can anyone.