Fat Girls Can Run Half-Marathons Too!

So, I've decided to run a half-marathon. Yup, go ahead. You can say I'm crazy and why would anyone want to do it. However, it doesn't change the fact that on April 16th I will be lacing up my shoes and joining the throng in the Salt Lake City Half-Marathon. When I was researching online about training for a half-marathon, I came across the tip that because running a long distance is part mental training, it's important to decide why you are doing this. I thought what better place to share that than here amongst my biggest fans!

Growing up, I've never been a skinny kid. Fat, husky, chubby, plus-sized, big, no matter what you call it, I was a fat kid. That, unfortunately, has often been the deciding factor of whether or not I could do an activity, or so it seemed. I know it seems ridiculous, but if I didn't see any fat girls out there doing the activity, I sure wasn't going to go out there. Somewhere in my mind I decided that if I didn't see any fat girls doing it, that meant that I couldn't do it or if I did do it, I would look foolish doing it. This mentality kept me from trying out for sports in high school, starting any dance lessons or even trying out for some performing arts. On the other hand, if I saw a fat girl out there dancing with a group, playing basketball or running a mile, and she looked confident and skilled, I knew I could do it. Guess it all goes to show the power of a physical example!

This brings me to my motivation behind running 13.1 miles. Running, in my mind, has always been the epitome of health. After all, you watch the Olympics or any kind of race and the runners are all skinny, healthy looking people. (twisted, I know) Even when I first started losing weight, it wasn't necessarily about the pounds, but I wanted to be able to run a mile with my students without dying. I saw those who completed marathons and half-marathons as healthy people who were physically fit. It was always a goal in my mind to finish a half-marathon. I wanted to be one of those "healthy" people who ran for fun. Mostly, I wanted to prove to myself that fat girls can run half-marathons too.

So, feel free to ask me how my training is going. And, on the morning of April 16th, think, "Wow, fat girls CAN run half-marathons" because that's what I'll be thinking as I go across the finish line!