Betty: Head case

Ok, the reason I signed up for this whole marathon business in the first place was for 2 main reasons...friends and fat. Friends and fat are the polar opposites in my marathoning intentions, for example...

Friends - Love them, want to spend more time with them, look forward to having them in my life for a very long time (if not forever!), i never tire of being around them, and they bring out the best in me.



Fat - Hate it, wish it were gone, hope to never see it again, brings out the worst in me and refuses to show the world who i really am.

So the friends part of the training has been going really well. I get to see the Mama's more often and more importantly when we are running I get to see them with out all the kids in tow so we actually get to have a conversation, at least when i'm able to finish a sentence between beep gasps of breath.
The fat portion of the training however is not going as well as planned. When i began this endeavor i was convinced that i would loose a significant amount of weight and become the sassy svelte knockout that turns heads while elegantly gliding down the running path. Instead, i am the person who turns heads because you can hear my anguished breaths and plodding feet coming up behind you as a warning to get the hell out of my way before one of my hips comes swinging past and knocks you flat on your ass.

So here is the deal with those who are running to loose weight. First of all, running is a public sport. Unless you are at home on a treadmill you are either at the gym or out somewhere in the world where there is a good chance of seeing other humans and of other humans seeing you. Second, if you are running with a team (aka TNT) or enjoy the running paths of the various beautiful lakes and rivers that our lovely state has to offer, you will be encountering several other humans who are also out partaking in some much desired exercise. And third, running provides you with ample alone time to think and ponder about your state of being and if your trying to loose weight, lots of people to compare yourself to along the way. It can all get to be quite demoralizing. Almost everyone that passes by you is thinner, taller, more muscular, more perky and clearly more physically fit that you can ever pretend to be.

For some people the witnessing of such physical excellence is motivation. I however find it daunting. Even while running alone on a vacation on the Oregon coast, Mother Nature made sure to remind me of my own physical flaws by showing be natures version of my breasts post children...

Then just as i was beginning to feel at my lowest (and roundest) I decided to take my son to the Mall of America for some quality lego time. As i was looking around at the sea of tourists and mall dwellers i realized....you know, i'm not doing so bad. Thank you obese America for lifting my spirits.