Last fall I watched the Marine Corps Marathon. I stood on the National Mall and cheered on as every single runner – from the man who eventually won the race to the ladies who brought up the rear – passed me. It was a life-changing experience. The people who ran past me came in every shape, size, weight and age. here were women so thin they looked sick. Men with muscles like bodybuilders. Fat people – people most of us would write off, assuming they never hit the gym.
I was at Mile 19. That meant that every person I saw was kicking ass. All of them had run or walked a distance most of us don’t even want to imagine. There were people like me, people who must have spent their whole lives thinking they could never be an athlete. They were about to finish a marathon.
I decided to start running.
In the past year, I’ve run two 5k races (that 3.1 miles) and, in October, the Marine Corps 10k. We crossed the same finish line as the marathoners (and although he had to run 20 miles more than me, the man who won the marathon finished only about an hour after I did!). Now I’ve decided to take the next step. I’m training for the Country Music Half Marathon on April 24, 2010.
And I’m fat*. Really fat. Not like this woman, who wrote an article for Newsweek about being a fat runner. At my heaviest, I weighed over 300 pounds (I don’t weigh myself anymore). These days, I wear somewhere between a size 20 and a size 24.
I’m writing this blog for a number of reasons. I’m going to document my training for the half marathon. I want to demonstrate that people like me can do something like this. I hope that I can connect with other fat athletes and inspire other fat men and women. I’m also working with Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and I hope you’ll make a donation.
So enjoy! Comment – although I’ll only accept size-positive comments. Forward this link to your friends. Tell me what kind of athlete you are! I look forward to sharing this journey with all of you.
* I use the word fat as a neutral descriptor. I’m not casting aspersions on myself or anyone else. Fat doesn’t define me, but it doesn’t insult me either. It’s just one part of who I am and what my body looks like.
Fat Girl on a Run 