The Journey of “The Fat Runner”

The Journey of “The Fat Runner”

by | Mar 30, 2021 | Article, Guest Perspective, Opinion, Reflection

By Coach Marci Braithwaite

 I am Marci Braithwaite. I am a runner. I am a marathoner who has also completed many halves as well as nearly a hundred races of many distances, both virtually and in-person, over the last twelve years. I am an elementary school teacher, and I am a mother of two teenagers. I am a chapter leader of my local, 900-member She Runs This Town running group. I am the leader of a virtual community of new runners, and a USATF certified coach.

 I am also fat.

The Fat Runner

I use that word to describe myself because it is simply that – a descriptor (Photo by Patrick Krohn Photography.)

I use that word to describe myself because it is simply that – a descriptor. The word itself often causes an immediate reaction. When I use it, the occasional person will smile and say I’m brave. More often, people cringe and ask why I use that term: it’s an insult used by many to demean and diminish. To them I ask, “Why is fat demeaning? Does the fat on my body make me lesser than you? Does it diminish my accomplishments in any way? What about my fat makes you better than me?”

 Twelve years ago I started my running journey the way so many of us do, to lose weight. I thought my weight was the cause of my back pain at the time. It wasn’t (two pregnancies producing ten-pound babies tend to mess up your lower back). I did lose weight back then, but in the time since, and even through marathon training, running more than 40 miles per week, I gained it back. I’m at the same weight I was 12 years ago. I no longer have that back pain, which I attribute to strengthening my core and cross training. After more than a decade of consistent running and literally thousands of miles on my feet, I’m still fat.

 Through all that time, I started to notice something. People seemed to think that what I was doing was revolutionary. Running while fat? That’s not allowed. Fat people are sent that message every time someone yells, “Go faster, fatty!” when they’re on a run or walk, or made to feel uncomfortable, or that they don’t belong at the gym. The prevailing message is that fat people shouldn’t show themselves in the fitness arena, because you should only be visible if you’re thin and have an “acceptable” body type.

The Fat Runner

“I want people who look like me to realize that they do belong. That the shape of our bodies does not define us or our abilities (Photo: Marci Braithwaite)

Then I discovered Mirna Valerio. She is an ultrarunner and public speaker, a blogger, and the head of her own FatGirlRunning online community. One day I discovered a video she had made for REI, about an email she read while she was running a multi-hour endurance event. The email accused her of lying, that she wasn’t really running, that she didn’t actually finish the ultramarathons that she claimed to have finished. As I watched this video, which, again, was filmed while she was completing an endurance event, I realized that what she was doing, simply existing and doing incredibly badass things in her fat body, was exactly what I wanted to do, too.

 We don’t see fat runners on the roads and trails very often, do we? Why do you think that is? It’s definitely not because they don’t want to be there. Nor is it because fat people are inherently lazy. It’s a matter of access. When people like Mirna, a fat black woman, receive criticism and accusations of dishonesty for simply participating in an event that many thin people joined without a second thought, it should give you pause about the inclusivity of the running and outdoor community.

 I want to change that. I want people who look like me to realize that they do belong, both in the outdoors and in the running community. That the shape of our bodies does not define us or our abilities. That there is no definition of the word “runner” beyond “someone who completes a movement that involves both feet in the air at once during a stride.” There is no weight requirement, no speed requirement, or any definition that anyone must fit into for someone to be able to enjoy the outdoors and the running community.

 I’m Marci. I’m a fat runner and a fat running coach. I want you to join me on my running journey.

 For more information:
Facebook: Request an add to the group Fat Athletes
Instagram: @The_Fat_Athlete
Website: http://www.thefatathlete.biz
Email: coach.thefatathlete@gmail.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: The day before this entry was scheduled to post, Mirna Valerio, plus-size ultrarunner, author, and spokeswoman (mentioned earlier in this post), announced her partnership with Lululemon clothing, using the slogan, \”Running is for everyone who has a body and wants to run.\” Click here to see the announcement.

 

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10 Guidelines on Runners Etiquette

10 Guidelines on Runners Etiquette

by | Mar 16, 2021 | Article, List, Opinion, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

After years of running, 100+ races and thousands of miles under my soles, I have all developed my very personal running habits. Just as you have developed yours. Some good, some bad, some questionable. At the same time, we have all established our running pet peeves.

Even though there is nothing written, there are some basic guidelines that every runner must keep to be part of an ever-improving running community. One where friends and strangers can be proud of being a part of. Some are to keep us safe, some to make the running experience more fulfilling and some to have more enjoyable races.

These are my 10 basic guidelines on running etiquette:

  1. Runners Etiquette

    Slow runners are no less of an athlete than fast runner. Each group needs to be aware and respectful of the other (Photo Pexels)

    Be mindful of other runners around you: It doesn’t matter if you are fast, slow, walker or if you are so tired you are crawling. Most of the time you are not the only person on the road, so you need to be aware of other runners. The last thing you want is to get injured, so make sure you are not the one responsible for someone else getting injured.

  2. Respect slower runners: Both in training and in races, you will cross paths with slower runners. The fact they can’t run as fast as you, doesn’t make them less of an athlete. No need to be rude or discourteous. Be aware and respectful of the fact they are also putting their best effort forward.

  3. Respect faster runners: Just as you expect to be respected as a slow runner, if you are in this category you must respect the presence of runners faster than you. Don’t crowd the corners, don’t take the inside lane on the track, don’t clog the path by running side-by-side with too many people and be aware of your surroundings when stopping to walk.

  4. Acknowledge other Runners: Nobody expects you to stop what you are doing or change your pace to say hi to a stranger. But as runners, I think we all agree that acknowledging each other’s presence is the most basic form of good running etiquette. Tip your hat, make eye contact, nod, grunt, lift your arm or say an audible “hey”.

  5. Don’t interfere while taking selfies: They have become ubiquitous in running. If there is no selfie, it didn’t happen. We get it! You can take all the running selfies you want as long as it doesn’t interfere with other runners, especially during a race. Go to the side of the road, get out of the way and then knock yourself out with as many selfies your phone can handle. But always remember that your selfie is not another moving runner’s priority.

  6. Just because you isolate with your headphones doesn’t mean I am not there: it is your prerogative to run with headphones. If it provides you with a better experience, go for it. But it is your responsibility to be aware of your surroundings, not mine. I don’t know if you are wearing them or not so don’t expect anyone to be on the lookout for you while isolated.

  7. Do not stop abruptly at water stations: I am not sure where this walk-break at water stops trend began. This is a place where lots of moving people congregate simultaneously, many eyeing the same cup of liquid, and it is usually very slippery. If you need to stop, take your water, move out of the way, check your surroundings, and then stop. It is basic, common sense.

  8. Carry your own trash: Even when running we usually produce trash. At races, your entry fee includes trash pick up at water stop, but when training, it is not the case. Just as you carried your gel or your water bottle with you, make sure you carry their byproduct trash until you find the proper way to dispose of it. During a race, this is the water stop.

  9. Act like an adult when it comes to bodily functions: They are inevitable when you are running. Burping, snot rockets, spitting and farting are commonplace and a normal part of a healthy functioning body, especially when running. Don’t make anyone feel bad. Be mature and just let it go. Because it is a matter of time before it is your turn.

  10. Respect your membership in WhatsApp and Facebook groups: Most runners are in more than one social media group, and most groups have way too many people to keep track of multiple conversations. Limit your interactions to group related postings so your group can become relevant. I bet you are member of plenty of other groups where you share your non-running memes, jokes and political commentary.

Anything I missed? What is your running pet peeve?

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Book Review – 26 Marathons

Book Review – 26 Marathons

by | Feb 9, 2021 | Book Review, Opinion

By Meb Keflezighi (With Scott Douglas)
Reviewed by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 When we talk about the top US marathoners in the United States during the first fifth of the 20th Century, the name of Meb Keflezighi automatically jumps to the forefront. If you don’t consider him at the top of the list, which you are entitled to, it seems difficult he won’t be on your Top-3 or Top-5. He is the only runner to ever win Boston, New York and earn an Olympic medal. And even though he only won 3 of his 26 career marathons (hence the name of the book), his personality, constant top-level performances and contagious smile, made him an icon on the world stage between 2002-2017.

26 Marathons


A good book, well written and worth the time and the money

In his latest book, Keflezighi goes into detail about each one his 26 marathons. How he trained, what were his life challenges at the time, how he performed and the sports and life lessons he took from each one of them. He enjoys and doesn’t shy away from the glory of his successes, yet at the same time makes himself vulnerable by taking us through his failures and how to deal with them when you are expected to perform at a certain level and you just can’t.

This is a short book, about 250 pages, and a very pleasant read. Succinct chapters allow you to soak in a marathon or two in each sitting, without being overwhelmed by excessive details.

At times it becomes difficult to relate to Meb’s running experiences because 99.9% of runners will never need to ponder if we are ready to respond to Eliud Kipchoge’s surge in the Olympics or how to prepare for what may come to us in the last 10K of the New York City Marathon when you enter First Avenue as part of the leading pack. But that doesn’t matter. We read books about great baseball or football players though we will never be on the field with them at the next World Series or Super Bowl. Meb’s tales from the front are well told and through his words, he does bring us with him to that place we will only see when we are watching a race on TV.

The book is geared towards life lessons on planning, patience, adjustment to goals, change of expectations made on the fly and many other subjects that mean something to us when they come from first-hand experiences from a world-class athlete who has been there not one, but many times.

A leitmotif for Meb’s career was his spouse’s support. He doesn’t hide that his wife, Yordanos, was the family’s backbone that permitted him to achieve his goals. As runners, we all need the support of our wives, husbands or significant-others to achieve what we are looking for, and the Keflezighis show us how.

26 Marathons

Only athlete ever to win Boston, New York and an Olympic medal

I loved Meb’s conclusion about his career as a marathoner. We may not be able to relate to some of his tales from the leading pack, but everyone who has completed multiple marathons, somehow will see himself/herself in this:

“I did twenty-six marathons over fifteen years, one for each mile of the race. I learned that the marathon can hate you or love you. It can make you go though misery or experience great joy. I learned that no matter what it happens, eventually you’ll look back and think, ‘That was a beautiful thing. I’m glad I did it.”

If you want to know more about Meb’s personal life, his childhood in Eritrea, move to the United States, life and career, “Run to Win” is your book. “26 marathons” is a good book, well written and worth the time and the money you will spend on it. But I do think it is important to understand what the book is and what it is not, before you tackle it, so you can be in the right frame of mind when you read it and thus, get the most out of it.

If anyone knows or has access to Meb, please thank him on my behalf for both books and for being an inspiration to the running community throughout his long career. His name is up there with Alberto Salazar, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Ryan Hall, Clarence De Mar, etc. in the pantheon of great US runners of all time.

 

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Dear New Running Shoes

Dear New Running Shoes

by | Jan 26, 2021 | Guest Perspective, Opinion, Reflection

By Michael D’Aulerio*

Dear New Running ShoesYou may not understand what’s about to take place. There’s a great deal of wear and tear coming your way.

Ups and downs, countless miles, and a whole lot of struggle.

However, I can promise you that if you stick with me . . . in the end . . . when you are completely broken, worn down, and beaten . . . when layer upon layer comes off . . . a funny thing happens.

With less, you will feel more.

…and you will experience a profound wholeness that you never knew existed, safe and enclosed, back in your original little box.

It’s going to be a beautiful struggle of a journey, but a journey worth taking.

Will it be easy? No, every step can be a painful step to the finish.

But will it be worth it?

YES, every step of the way . . .

With much love and gratitude,

~The One from Above You, Running with You, Every Step of the Way

Published in this blog with permission from the author.
A passage from his new book “Mindful Ultramarathon Running”.

* Michael D’Aulerio is an accomplished ultrarunner and author. A dad, husband, sales professional, a brand ambassador athlete, and has completed over 50 ultras. You can follow him in Instagram at @longrunliving.

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The Post-Run Beer

The Post-Run Beer

by | Dec 29, 2020 | Article, Opinion, Science

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 As runners, we often enjoy a beer as a post-run reward when we finish a training run with friends. A post-race beer is the perfect excuse for having alcohol at 8 in the morning without having to worry if you’ve become an alcoholic. As ubiquitous as the beer/runner relationship is, there is no definite answer on the conundrum if both can coexist.

There is no binary answer to this dilemma. Scientists and science writers differ on the value and placement of this elixir in the running scene.

Post-Run Beer

Finishing a race is the perfect excuse for downing a beer at 9AM without feeling like an alcoholic.

In the in-favor camp, we find Christie Aschwanden, author of the best-selling book Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery.  During a recent interview in the Run Smarter Podcast she stated:

“Beer and running go hand-in-hand. Together it can be a reasonable recovery drink. No one who does not drink beer should start drinking beer because it will help with their recovery. […] Where I think beer can be a nice thing is that it is a nice sort of ritual for groups that gather after a run and have beer as a social thing, in a way for unwinding. […] Where beer becomes problematic is when you haven’t had food and the alcohol goes to your head. A little bit is fine. The evidence is not there to say that one beer or a beer-and-a-half is going to wreck your recovery. There is evidence that knocking 6 or 7 beers in a row is not good for you. Hangovers are not good for recovery.”

They key to Ms. Aschwanden point is that beer per se has no magical powers as a recovery drink. The fact we do it as a social ritual after we put the mile in, is what makes it a positive stimulus. “The social aspect of relaxing with your friends is helpful”, she stated. The key, as usual, is moderation.

But not everyone is in favor of a post-race cold brew. According an article by Holy Martin, a San Francisco-based running coach and personal trainer, in the Run to The Finish blog: “After a training session, our body utilizes protein to rebuild itself, and to adapt to what we’re demanding of it while training. Alcohol can impede that process and make it much harder for our muscles to rebuild. Similarly, alcohol freezes muscle growth if you’re consuming it on a regular basis. So, if you’re working hard to build speed or strength, or to make any real changes in the gym, be mindful of your alcohol consumption.”

Post-Run Beer

The social aspect of the post-run beer alone, has its positive recovery effects

When you think of it from the scientific point of view, this makes sense. But she also states at the end “be mindful”, not necessarily “refrain”. So it comes, once more, to moderation.

In an article published by Runner’s World in August of this year (2020), author Heather Mayer Irvine said that:” Experts agree that beer, which is considered a diuretic—thus dehydrating—isn’t the best recovery drink and should be paired with water when consumed after a workout. Still, a 2015 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that when runners drank a moderate alcoholic beer (roughly 4.5 percent ABV) along with water after a workout, their rehydration was no worse than those who drank only water.”

Since we are discussing alcohol consumption, it is imperative that you understand that drinking right before or while running is a definitely no-no. You don’t want your liver using the glucose needed to propel you forward, processing the alcohol you are consuming. This is a recipe for a crash. If you can’t wait until the training or race is over, maybe it is time to make an appointment with an addiction specialist.  

My Personal Conclusion

I am not a scientist or a doctor, so I speak from the experience of a runner who has indulged in the post-run cold one with his buddies for a few years. Sure, we can enjoy a post-run libation without ruining what we just gained, but at the same time, beer doesn’t have any esoteric powers in our recovery. The social aspect of it is what brings us joy while we are in a runners’-high state. It is this feeling what will bring us back to do more running so we can experience the ritual again. Of course, in moderation, and only after drinking enough water first, so we don’t rehydrate with alcohol.

 
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9 Tips to Run Safely in the Dark

9 Tips to Run Safely in the Dark

by | Nov 10, 2020 | Article, List, Opinion

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

For us runners, first Sunday in November is usually reserved for the New York City Marathon and in the United States at least, it also means the end of Daylight-Saving Time. It is our one day with 25 hours. But with this time adjustment and the autumn months in full swing and the winter ones in the on-deck circle, there are longer nights which present a slew of challenges for runners.

Running safely in the dark

If you can’t run without headphones, do not get into this setting. Jump on the treadmill, instead.

It is paramount to understand that our safety is our individual responsibility. In this litigious world where nobody take responsibility because they think they can sue whoever hurts them, you must be aware that as a runner, it doesn’t matter who had the right of way, who had the obligation to see you, or who will win the argument in court. If you get hit by a vehicle, you are the one getting hurt. Is up to you to make sure you are seen by those who could harm you.

The following are nine recommendations to keep you safe while enjoying your runs in less than ideal lighting conditions:

1.     Do not improvise your routes: When you are running in the dark is not the appropriate time to be adventurous. Select routes you know are safe, well-lit and familiar to you. This is not the time to cross a street and find out there is no sidewalk, or that you are lost.

2.     Wear at least one light/reflecting device: You must prepare to be visible at the time you end your run, not just at the start. You can run lit like a Christmas tree, or you can use a reflecting vest, or you can wear blinking lights on your shoes, shorts, or hats. The options are plenty and they fit every budget.

3.     Run against traffic: It can’t be easier than this. By running against traffic you can be alert to any danger ahead of you. Drivers maybe playing with their phones and heading towards you. You won’t see these idiots unless you are facing them. This doesn’t mean to run in the middle of the road, make sure you obey all traffic guidelines.

4.     Rethink your usage of headphones: Running in the dark has its own challenges. Don’t handicap yourself by not having your auditive sense available and/or half of your brain distracted with music or a podcast. If you can’t run without your headphones, jump on the treadmill or choose a well-lit, familiar route where you don’t have to cross any streets.

5.     Run with your phone: Well into the XXI Century, phones are ubiquitous. Not even sure why we still call them telephones. Make sure you run with yours when you are in the dark. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.  Sharing your location on WhatsApp or any other app is a good practice. There are so many options to carry a phone these days, that there are no excuses to leave it at home if you are running into the dark.

6.     Always tell someone where you are going and how long you plan to run: Even if you are taking your phone, but especially if you are not, make sure someone knows what your route is and how long do you expect to be gone. If you are going for 5K around the block and it has been two hours, someone should be checking on you.

Running safely in the dark

Reflecting vests are good and affordable options. They also made you seen from both sides.

7.     Run in groups whenever possible: There is always additional safety in numbers. It is easier for a driver to see a group of runners than to see just one. Plus, more eyeballs, more brains and more safety devices together can only increase the safety of your run in the dark.

8.     Carry ID: I am not paid by them, but I do believe RaceID is the best alternative for carrying identification with you. I have been using it for years and they have plenty of unobstructive, affordable options so someone can take care of you if you are ever found in a ditch. Worse comes to worse, carry your driver’s license in a pocket.

9.     Carry pepper spray: Having it is not enough. It must always be accessible. The moment you need it is not the time to figure out where it is or how it works. Mind the wind, or you will pepper spray yourself.

These are by no means all the safety precautions you must take to run safely in the dark. For one, make sure you trust your instincts always, so you don’t have to second-guess yourself when it is already too late. If something doesn’t feel right, get out of there immediately.

Anything else I forgot, or you would like to recommend to your fellow readers?

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