From the category archives:

plus size runner

The Measure of a Minute

by admin

What exactly is the measure of a minute? In a minute I can:

- heat up something in the microwave
- take a quick potty break
- go to the fridge and pour a drink
- listen to about 1/3 of a song
- see two 30 second commercials on tv

It doesn’t seem like a lot of time, one minute….and yet, being able to run a mile one minute faster is huge! That’s the journey I’m working on currently. Being a plus size runner, I’m a little slower than many of the other runners on the course – but I just keep chugging along.

I’ve been cross training this year and right around late April or early May, I started lifting weights. I’ve been doing heavy weights/and SuperSlow repetitions (meaning a count of 8-10 going up, and 8-10 going down, not the tradition 2 or 4). I work with a trainer for this, and the strides and gains I’m making are great. One of the benefits I’m finding with running is that I’m picking up a little bit of speed. A little can mean a lot in the world of running.

If I’m currently at an 18min mile, and I can get to a 17 min mile – that’s a big step! For example – on a 5k course at 18mins you’re looking at about 56mins to finish. When you’re going at 17mins, you’re looking at more like 52 mins! Now let’s look at half marathons, which is the distance I push for…..

235 mins vs 222 mins — that’s a savings of you’ve got it….13 mins – or 1 minute a mile :)

My goal is to get to the point where I can hold that 17mins, and then aim for 16mm! I may never be a 12min miler, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try to work my way down over the course of my training in a comfortable, injury-free manner. A little bit of cross training here, a little bit of speed training there, and I may see gains.

Right now my big dream goal is to be at a solid 16mm like I should be for a Disney race. Whether I want to compete in the Disney Princess, Tink, Donald, Disneyland Half – whatever…..I don’t want to be looking back at sweepers right behind me. I want a little space between us…it can be too close for comfort sometimes!

With my cross training, I truly feel like I have the strength in my legs and core to carry me. My legs want to turn over faster, I have more oomph to propel me forward, my glutes are strong, my legs, and my abs and back are all working together to get me there. It’s going to be a long, slow progress – but look at that last word – PROGRESS….there is and will be progress.

Running has taught me persistence, patience, and a sense of pride in reaching a goal. I’ll get there. It may take awhile, but I know I’ll get there.

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Thinner Ankles Make Me Happy

by admin

This story is pretty pointless without a picture showing off my thinner ankles. So here you go….take note of my ankles in this photo. It was taken July 1, 2011 while on vacation – we were currently in Nashville. Hey, I didn’t say my legs would be thin, focus on the ankles my friends!

While I’m not a thin person, my ankles are looking more like normal ankles after years and years of fluid retention. I’m currently weighing in around 239. I had to restart somewhere around 255. The amount of fluid that has jumped off my body is amazing….truly. My wrists, my ankles, my shoulders – my fingers, all my joints are no longer swollen after years of constant swelling. The culprit? GLUTEN!

My thinner ankles make me smile all the time now. I shave my legs and am amazed that they are starting to look like normal ankles – not like overstuffed sausages. My body is adjusting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to be instantly thinning out in moments, but changes are truly happening.

In return, that is helping to motivate me. I took a long trip (2 1/2 week vacation) and just got back to the gym today to do weights. I have another appointment with my trainer on Friday. Now, it’s time to get running consistently again. I’m doing things smartly and at my pace. I was signed up for a half in August, but I knew I was not in any shape to do that. Sure I could push myself right now, but for what?

I found a 5 miler in late October that will be a good way for me to get my feet wet again without feeling over pressured. I’ll go back in for my February half – the Donna in Jacksonville, which has a huge time limit. That allows me to not feel pressured for my come back half. I’m not going to suddenly get faster, and having less pressure on my time will really help my confidence.

So for now – I’ll smile admiring my thinner ankles, work on picking up running consistency, and continue to move forward with weights. I’ll probably continue them through the end of the year and decide what to do after that point. ($$)

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Standing Out in a Crowd

by admin

In my brain most runners at a race look like this:

I feel like this:

…and regardless, we all are like this at the end:

I’ve always felt like I stand out when we line up at a start line. My running group has taught me that it doesn’t matter if I’m slow or if I’m more round than I am lean – it’s having the goal of improving yourself and reaching out, and finishing it that really matters. We all cross the same finish line. I love my running group. They’ve changed me in so many ways that are valuable to my self-worth and I can’t thank them enough for that.

I’ve restarted my C25k program again. I’m on week 3. I also started doing some weights with a program that I am liking very much recently. I’m breathing normally, no respiratory issues. I kept waiting for it to happen, but now that the BP meds are out of my body, it’s a non-issue. I’m so happy and relieved. This means I can and will rebuild that endurance again!

Here’s the thing – after having a bought with adrenal issues, then respiratory issues, I was feeling pretty down. I once had endurance and it was all gone, lost, finished – I had nothing left. I was left sitting on the sidelines of “you’ll get there again” encouragement.

I wasn’t so sure. I thought maybe I’d had my time in the sun and it wasn’t going to happen again. A funny thing happened on the way – I stuck around my running group regardless of the changes going on. I felt inspired, encouraged, motivated by watching OTHERS achieve what they were setting out for. I decided it was going to happen again, and I was going to make it happen again.

I signed up for some weight lifting for some cross-training, and I got back on my handy/dandy treadmill, in my happily climate controlled dining room and gave it a go. Guess what, it is clicking back in place, and I am going to be able to go forward and build my endurance again. It was my mind holding me back recently, but now that I’m moving again I feel so much better.

I’m not any faster, and I’m okay with that. I’m a little bit rounder and I’m not okay with that, so I’m working on it. What I do know is that as I rebuild my endurance and get myself “half marathon” ready again, I’ll get there not only by my own physical means, but also by the strength that my running group offers me.

I’m ready to run baby!

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Running on Empty

by admin

empty

You’ve heard the expression “Running on Empty” – apparently I’m quite literally “Running on Empty”. I got some blood work back from my latest doctor’s appointment and I’ve been put in a holding pattern for a bit. My body is truly running on empty right now and I need to address this before I can move forward.

My adrenal’s are exhausted, my cortisol is way off, my thyroid meds are way off, my vitamin D is low enough to need an RX fix, and my body isn’t absorbing B12, so B12 shots are on deck. My BP is off…and I’ve had to start meds. Most runners run and get off of medication – I run and end up on it…haaaa

I lost my mojo, but at least it wasn’t just in my head! I am glad there’s an answer – so that I don’t feel as defeated. I was putting demands on my body that it wasn’t capable of handling – but did anyway! This last year has been nothing less than amazing for me. I’ve learned that being a runner is a part of my fabric.

While I’ll be able to walk for a couple of weeks, I look forward to feeling the energy and stamina needed to run again. I guess when it comes down to it, I’ve not really known what it was like to run with a full tank. This excites me to know that if all this stuff is actually adjusted properly that I’ll actually have more oomph! I didn’t understand why it was always such hard work for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy, but it seemed to never get easier! It’s because the more I ran, the harder it was becoming on my body!

I asked my husband if he thought I would be faster when I’m firing on all cylinders. He smiled and said, “No, probably not, but you’ll have the energy to go farther.” It’s okay, I laughed too.

I’ve been exhausted, but kept going because that’s what I thought you did – you just did it anyway. I’ve taught myself perseverance, what finishing can mean, and how to do things I didn’t know I could. Running has given me confidence, a power inside of myself to believe that I could take on the world, and I walk just a little taller these days.

I may end up back at square one when I’m given the green light to run again, but I now know I’ll just do a little more each week and my body WILL meet the challenge.

I now have an answer for what happened with the Wine and Dine. Something was trying to get my attention – you CAN NOT run this race, your body can’t handle it right now! It was telling my doctor the story about my shakes and what happened race week that triggered us finally following through and checking my adrenals. My blood work painted a picture that I was truly running on empty. I’ve also had to cancel my Amish Half plans. I plan on being back at full strength for Princess in Feb, and then again for the Bucks County half in April. My body just needs a little downtime so we can get me back to healthy.

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Choosing Races

by admin

question

I ran 8 miles today. It took me a damn long time to do it. This being slow really takes a toll some days. Don’t get me wrong – it is what it is…I’m in no hurry to be fast, my body doing what it can, and I’m grateful that I was able to hang in there and do it.

The thing is – in a couple of weeks I’ll have 13 miles to go, and the entire time I’ll be wondering if I’ll make it with the cut off time being faster than my body wants to move. I have a half marathon in October with a cut off time of 3:30 and one in November with a cut off time of 4 hours. 4 hours is more realistic for me. My fastest time for a half so far is 3:52. I get them done, but they take me awhile…

Now, for a 200+ pound woman to go 13 miles- it’s quite an accomplishment in itself. I’m not trying to squash that at all. I’m proud of what I’ve done and what I’m doing…it makes me feel great, and I hope other women are inspired and think if I can do it, so can they. You can by the way…slow and steady, just start!

Anyway, I’ve been thinking that the year 2011 will be about shorter distances for me. I’ll do my half marathon in February, the Princess in Disney, which is going to be my yearly half to mark my progress each year – but I’m doing FIVE half marathons this year. I started running in October, and in a total of 13 months, I’m racking up five of those bad boys. (3 have been completed at this point) Cool right? Yes and no.

I need to work on consistency and I need to watch my training runs. As I logged 8 miles today, it seemed a ridiculous amount of time to be running. I just kept going and going and going, and it took me over 2 hours. Yikes…that’s a lot of work for my hips, my feet and all my joints.

I think that I’m going to switch down to 5k’s for 2011 after my half (and MAYBE one more locally in Bucks Co. again)….but until I can lose more weight or bring my speed up a little bit, I’m going to lighten my load. Now – you hear me saying this now, but you may know all too well how easy it is to get excited about something. I know, I know, I’m thinking of the Hershey Half next year too in the fall…but the thing is, until I’m a consistently quicker mover, I think I want to do that.

Here’s what I might actually do after my November half. I may go BACK to square one. I might start the c25k over again, only this time try to start from square one a tiny faster. Then when I reach my goal, I’ll go back and do it again, maybe a tiny faster…I’m just kicking ideas around…I may just stay a long distance runner and trudge along at the pace I am…I just felt like while I was doing the big run today – it was too long on my feet for just a training run. I’ll let you do the math, it’s not pretty….I do 18 min miles…yeah…that’s a damn long time on my feet.

So for now, I’m kicking some thoughts around about how to change things. The answer may just be in hill workouts, speed workouts, or just some cross training, but I think my main goal is shorter and more consistent runs after my halves are done this fall. I’m afraid of burning out….which I end up doing after these mondo runs.

Tomorrow, I may wake up and be like “What was I thinking?! I love halves”….but for now, I’m just plum tired!

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Old Identities Popping Up

by admin

fatgirl

I’ve been struggling with my identity this week. I guess I didn’t really want to look at it. A simple tiny text message from a friend made me sit and think about what my issue has been this week. You see, I’ve been sort of down this last week or so since I’m not running much…I’m just not myself.

I’m the type of person who needs to analyze myself so I understand what causes my feelings – just who I am. Anyway, with this tailbone injury flaring up again lately – it’s got me seeking out alternative treatments. I started going to the chiropractor to see if I can get some relief. Is that what’s bothering me? The pain? I don’t think so….I dug deeper to see what it was…

It’s ego. Plain and simple.

Most of my life – at least the last twenty years or so – my mind has labeled myself the “fat girl”. Face it, when you’re over 200 pounds, your brain goes there. It’s a label I’ve worn for so many years…but something happened when I started running.

The label in my brain changed. I was no longer “the fat girl” to myself…I was now “the runner, plus size runner albeit, but I was running and I was a runner”. What a huge change in my attitutde over the last 8 months of this running journey.

After seeing myself as “a fat girl” for 20 years, I finally saw myself as more than that. I was a runner – something to be proud of. Man, you don’t know how hard it is to watch friends on Facebook or other places make comments about “getting stuck next to the fat person” on the plane, or how “fat people are lazy”, or this or that…hey, I’ve made peace with my weight the best way I can – but it still stings. Let’s face it….a lot of people don’t like fat girls. It’s a judgement of who I am based on my hips and belly.

…but when I was running half marathons and logging double digit training miles – I was something else. I was a runner in training. I wasn’t the fat girl anymore to people…I was the girl who was trying hard to make a change in her life. A girl who was trying, no matter how slow she is, she’s moving and wow, how great she’s making an effort….she’s a runner.

Not running right now – since my tailbone area swells after a run and causes me pain for a good 2 days, is really playing havoc on my mind. I never really thought about how running not only helped my ego, but kept depression at bay, and made me relabel who I was….even to myself.

Guess my brain is stuck on “I’m just a fat girl mode” again – and I hope to get moving again shortly. The last adjustment I had gave me a lot of hope….I’m ready to be a runner again….even if I’m a plus size runner. It gives me so much inside of myself…something I didn’t have for a very long time in my life.

It’s hard to put this out there…but honesty is what it’s all about. I know there are other plus size people out there struggling too…I want you to know – you can do this. I’ll be back to training soon. I have a half marathon I plan on being a part of in October, and I won’t take no for an answer….but right now, I’m playing head games with myself. Head games happen…it’s just climbing out of the pit to clear your head. That’s what I’m working on now. Now that I’ve faced what is truly bothering me – I can fix it.

Thanks to all my buddies who are there for me. It truly means a lot to me, and thanks to a special running friend who took a moment out of her day for checking up on me. It really helped me realize I needed to look at what was going on. Didn’t realize other people could see me sliding — xoxo

If you can’t change a situation, change your perspective of the situation…that’s where I’m at. I’m an injured runner. Period. Letting go of my fat girl label that I’ve plagued with myself this last week.

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