How one couple trained to run a marathon

Then after getting the ball rolling with a fitness routine, we slowly started making simple changes to our diet, too. We knocked out one bad habit at a time, first substituting honey for sugar in our morning coffee and then taking on bigger vices. Salty foods, such as potato chips, were the hardest to kick, but we eventually did it. Plus, we started cutting down our meal sizes. Emily jokes that moderation has become our favourite word, but it's true – portion control is something we monitor. I use my fist as an idea of what a portion should be, and try to stick to it as much as I can.

The important thing is we don't deny ourselves anything – we still have pizza now and then, and Fridays are still movie nights, but with butterless popcorn instead of heaps of chips. Al has developed a passion for veggies, but being part Italian, he loves his spaghetti. And he still gets to eat it; we're just smart about how much we eat, and how often.

Now Emily rolls her eyes in typical teenage fashion when I come home from the grocery store, thrilled about a new flaxseed bread or nonfat probiotic yogurt.

Our evening walks were bringing us closer together. We had designated "us time," and it was magical. The romantic evening walks turned into morning jogs, and soon regular exercise was something we couldn't live without.

Permanent changes
Over seven years, we have lost more than 100 pounds combined. I never would have imagined it, but it only took a series of small changes to turn our lives around. And then came the last lap on our journey to a healthier lifestyle. In 2004, I signed us up for the local running club and there she was – the club's president. She was the woman I had seen running in the rain.

It was running at the club that inspired Al and me to aim higher: October 2007, Al and I completed our first marathon. We trained for only 18 weeks for that 42-kilometre run in Victoria.

I almost didn't make it. With just a few kilometres to go, I felt myself dwindling. I started sobbing. Whose idea was this, anyway? I wanted to quit, but then I heard a voice. Although he wasn't anywhere near me at the time, I could hear Al say, "Look at you, you're fit and you're strong!" That filled me with new energy. We had joked at the starting line that we would probably be crawling at the end, but we both finished upright and smiling.

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