I may be chubby BUT I run Half Marathons

Hello fellow MFP members and fellow runners. Have you ever gone out for a run and had people look at you and you can tell that they are thinking "Why is that person running they are over weight?" I was out training for a race a few weeks back and I got the dirtiest look from some lady walking along the path. So me the smartie pants that I am said very loud so the miserable cow could hear me "Hey I might be chubby but I can run half marathons" Yep pretty sure that made her think again before judging people!! Why is it that non runners think you have to be thin and be an elite runner just to run. I am by no means a Kenyan but I get out there. It doesnt matter if you can complete with an amazing time or if it takes you alot longer then the "AVERAGE JOE" you are getting out there and having fun (well most times having fun) And Dead Last Finish is greater then did not finish, which trumps did ntot start!!

Anyyyyways...

Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.

You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home. You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.

You are awesome.

If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.

You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.

You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.

You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.

I bow to you.

Do your thing girl! One of my best friends and I do half marathons too and believe me we are FAAAAAAR from first. One Disney race we actually started in the very, very back....I'm not kidding you like the back of the back, farthest back as back can get. haha. I figure if i'm out there doing it, it's better than me sitting around doing nothing. I love Disney races by the way, they are expensive but the night ones are just about the only way I can make the half distance.

I started walking toward the end because my of shin splints and the guy next to me commented that he can't understand why people couldn't run "2 miles, Come on!". there were survivors and people like myself out there running for loved ones, not because we were athletes. that was very tacky to me. I was too hurt to say anything. Fortunately, there was a woman near the end who cheered us on and made me feel better. It was my first and ONLY race, I'm not a runner.

Do your thing girl! One of my best friends and I do half marathons too and believe me we are FAAAAAAR from first. One Disney race we actually started in the very, very back....I'm not kidding you like the back of the back, farthest back as back can get. haha. I figure if i'm out there doing it, it's better than me sitting around doing nothing. I love Disney races by the way, they are expensive but the night ones are just about the only way I can make the half distance.