By Jennifer Small, Sound Sports Editor:
Three years ago,
Maria Carangelo weighed 247 pounds and would be out of breath after walking up
a flight of stairs. Now, at almost half that weight, Maria still has moments of
being out of breath—but it’s more often from her daily runs, which have
included numerous 5Ks and two half-marathons.
“I decided I wanted
to lose the weight,” says Maria. “I had a lot of support from everyone around
me. My husband and my daughter both encouraged me tremendously—they’re both in
good shape and wanted to see me in shape for my own health.”
Maria had started
Weight Watchers and had seen some success, but she knew exercise would be the
key to real weight loss so she joined the North Branford Recreation
Department’s fitness room.
“I didn’t want to go
in the gym—I remember signing up and getting on the treadmill to walk and just
crying because I didn’t want to do it,” she says. “I’d go in every day and walk,
then I started picking up the weights, and then I wanted to run.”
Robert, Maria’s
husband of 16 years, influenced her in more ways than just encouragement as he
was a runner himself. He also gave her pointers for the weight room.
Running didn’t come
easily and Maria had to build her stamina by running one minute and then
walking until she caught her breath and repeating the process until she
gradually increased her running times.
Two years ago, she
began to study running as she joined a beginner running class at Sound Runner
in Branford with her friend Melinda Cappetta. Julie Francis, who taught the
class, also inspired Maria.
“At first I couldn’t
breathe and she kept saying keep coming,” says Maria. “I was so heavy that I
was running like a heavy person and my gait was off as I lost the weight. She encouraged
me to keep going and I’m still running there to this day.”
Maria and her
running group worked their way up to compete in the More Half Marathon in New
York City this past March, marking Maria’s second half marathon with her first
being the Niantic Half Marathon in July 2007. She also ran the New Haven Road
Race last year and will do that again in a few weeks.
Eventually, Maria
would like to work up to a marathon, but she’s not in any rush. For now, she
continues to concentrate on her daily workout routine, which includes running,
weights, ellipitical, and yoga.
“I’m really happy
that I’ve made a half marathon,” she says. “I’d like to build up to a marathon,
but it takes a long time to build up to that strength and speed. I’m not rushing
it and not looking to be the best or fastest—I just want to say I’ve done it.”
Once Maria started
running, combined with her gym workouts and Weight Watchers program, her weight
loss started coming together.
“I noticed my whole
shape was changing,” says Maria, who went from a size 24 to a size 8. “My
friend Sally [Ziskin] gave me so many clothes and I needed a whole new wardrobe
and I went out and bought myself some nice pieces. Now, she comes to the gym
every day and she says I’m her inspiration.”
While Maria is
enjoying her new shape and improved health, what she really enjoys is inspiring
people like Ziskin. She still attends Weight Watchers meetings where she and
others share their stories.
“I need that
camaraderie you get when you go and hear their stories and tell your story and
that helps others,” says Maria. “You remember the road that you went down and I
really enjoy talking to other people about it. People come up to me and say
that I have inspired them and they want to lose weight and I tell them, ‘I know
what you’re going through, I’m not different from you.’ I encourage them and
say, ‘It’s hard, but if you value your health, you need to do this.’ It’s not
about looking gorgeous and beautiful, it’s about being healthy.”
Maria also found
that taking up another hobby was a good way to distract herself from eating.
She began crocheting and beading. She also works full time as a financial
manager for Field Safety Corporation and part-time as a bookkeeper for East
Shore District Health Department.
As for future
athletic endeavors, Robert is trying to convince his wife to try a triathlon
with him. While Maria is unsure of that idea, she is confident in continuing
her healthy lifestyle.
“It’s a lifetime
commitment,” says Maria, 54. “I see pictures, like our family at my daughter’s
high school graduation, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that’s me.’ That’s me then
and this is me now and I’m never going back there. I’m not going to say it has
been easy because it’s been a long road, but I think about wishing I had gotten
on it quicker and lived a healthier lifestyle all the time.”