I had a very brief conversation with an Ultra Marathon runner in my running club that has left a very profound effect on the way I perceive my body and my running, he said to me "NEVER judge a runner by the way they look!" There is no question that I don't have a Marathon runners body and it would be fair to say that I have a bit of "big girl syndrome" (when you limit what you think you can do or wear while doing it because of the way you look). When I first got into running I would wear big baggy sweats and chaff and sweat like crazy because something more form fitting meant that someone driving past me somewhere was wanting to gauge their eyes out. I just couldn't feel comfortable running outside thinking that I was grossing out passers by or evoking looks of sympathy. Yet, I put on my determined face, bought a pair of running tights and went for a jog.....chaff free. After a couple weeks of feeling insecure I stopped worrying about what others seeing me run might think and focused on how much easier it was running in leggings and how good I felt getting my run on.
I always enjoyed running, but I think I had always discredited myself as a runner because I was neither thin nor leggy. Don't get me wrong, I am not obese, but the BMI classifies me as "overweight,"whereas I classify myself as average and healthy. However, for a runner I would fall into the heavy weight running category. After a few months of running I decided that I would take on the beast and sign up to run a Marathon. I was committed to my runs and shed a few pounds in the process, but nothing that when entering a room would say "Marathon runner." I ran my first Marathon and felt really great, I wouldn't say "piece of cake," but I survived it and enjoyed it. I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a run long or short where I finished and said "that was easy," but I find every run to be important. I think that as a mother runner the connection between the quiet cardio of the running on your body and the mental challenge of determining yourself onwards creates an opportunity to get into a very important and healthy head space.
Let's face it, we live in a world filled with visual and auditory noise pollution and our ability to focus and concentrate becomes less and less. Advertising agency's used to use 30 seconds to capture your attention through ads, this time has now shortened to 5 seconds! 5 seconds of an ad before you can click to not view it. Crazy eh? So in this world of overstimulation, responsibilities and work when do we ponder or meditate? I know that for me the meditation and pondering I experience through running is essential for me to be a good wife, mom, daughter, friend, etc... I find myself getting lost in conversations, articles I have read, planning, idea's for the kids and calendaring all while I am running and when I return home I have re-established order in my life and am ready to implement what I have organised through my mind on my run. I often think about how cheated my life would be if I had continued to wait until I had the runners body to start running. Because even though I am a bigger runner, running is a saving grace for me and I think it is for many others and would be for others who dare not yet give it a go.
Last night I ran with my running club the Orpington Road Runners and I decided to run with the 888 group of predominantly men. When they divided into groups this hearty lass wandered up to the 888 group and thought to herself "lets go boys!" It was on like Donkey Kong. I would be a big fat liar if I told you that it wasn't hard, it was, but I was determined. The course was hilly and 8 miles is more of a journey than a mere jog, but I didn't let my mind hold my body back. I ran with my friend Dave who is also running the Virgin London Marathon and shooting for the same time as I am and we finished our run of 8 miles with and average pace of 8:02. I was thrilled. This was my best mid length run EVER and I proved to myself that I can always push just a little bit harder. I finished feeling good and strong rather than begging for death. Some people may think to themselves, "imagine how fast you could run if you were 30lbs. trimmer" and that would be a valid thought and perhaps one day I will be, but in the meantime I will not put off what I can do for what I cannot. Running an 8:02 pace for 8 miles is not a Boston Marathon qualifying achievement and I would be a fool if I said that I wouldn't love to one day qualify for the Boston Marathon, but what I have found to be important is having the guts and determination to do what you can and then try to build up to what you want to achieve.
Pinterest is filled with pictures of women running that make us believe that in order to be a runner we need to look like THIS
The reality is that most women will look like average even hearty people and that does not mean that you cannot run AND kill it when you do. This is what a full length me looks like. Stark contrast from the pinterest picture, but I am 11 days from running my 4th Marathon and shooting for my first sub 4 with my last time being 4:06:09. Which I think is pretty darn good. I still find myself looking at women who look like runners and thinking "wow, she is a runner. I am just a girl who runs." WRONG! I am a runner and if I can run and run hard and run pretty fast......anyone can.
If you have wanted to give running a go but found that you have held yourself back because of the way you view your body image, stop. Take off the sweats that are making you sweat buckets and chaff like you are wearing a chastity belt and go buy some running tights. Slap on that spandex and run. Run because you can. Run because you are as entitled to the roads as anyone else. Run to clear your mind. Run to strengthen your body. Run to prove to yourself that you are hard core. Run ladies run. I am a proud mother runner of 2 and as a couple of my girlfriends call me I am the "Ash-phalt kicker" a play on my bowling ball named "The Ash Kicker." Sign up for a 5K, 10K, half Marathon or even a Marathon which is the first race I ever ran. Sign up and represent and remember, "NEVER judge a runner by the way they look." Go get em'.
