My butt jiggles. (Although I’m not entirely sure exactly how much because it’s quite tough to verify while I’m running.) I have strong thighs that touch. My boobs need to be locked and loaded into my favorite sports bra. I get really red in the face to the point that I’ve received concerned looks from bystanders.
I just don’t look like a runner.
But I am.
A friend of mine wrote a Facebook status about seeing a marathon and half-marathon race one time purely by coincidence. She was shocked at all the different body types running such long distances. It wasn’t said in a condescending tone; it gave her the idea that, heck, maybe she could even run a long-distance race too.
That’s what is so wonderful about this news story. I dare you to watch it without smiling a bit. She’s an absolute inspiration and reminder that runners, regardless of body size, are still…running.
Fat Girl Running:
“There’s a cognitive dissonance, I think, involved in just imagining somebody who is able to run the amount of miles that I do, and that other people do, that look like me and also carry extra weight. But I think that is due to this notion that we’ve had for years that ‘fit’ means a very particular body type, a very particular weight, and size, and height and that’s just not true. I’m not saying that I don’t have more weight to lose; I know that it’s dangerous to have weight around your belly and I’m working on it.”
Nailed it. It’s that very stereotype that often prevents people from continuing to practice what they love. Running, yoga, dancing. You may not “look” like an athlete, but the second you lace up those shoes, you are.
I have to consciously tell myself to move past this association as other smaller runners cross paths with me. My body may not look like hers, but hell, I’m fit. Remember my excellent numbers? Just like Mirna Valerio says, sure I could stand to lose more weight, yes I could aim for more defined abs, I’m aware of that. But loving and accepting who you are is important too, more so than what the time reads after you cross the finish line.
“I love my body. And I’ve learned that the more I love my body, the more I love myself; the happier I am, the more healthy I am. Whether that’s in physical health or emotional health or mental health…I’m a better person.”
Think about that.