Yes, I ran the FULL Marathon

Its so funny when people talk to me about the marathon.  I mention my time (in the 6 hour area) and they get this horrified look, and I think wow its not THAT bad.  Then they say "oh, you ran the FULL marathon?" I then assure them that yes it was the full marathon. 

Its funny, because to look at me, you would probably not even guess that I ran; unless you looked at my legs.  The legs don't lie LOL.  So when people look at me incredulous that I ran a full marathon it makes me smirk a little.  Its like a hidden super hero skill that no one saw coming.  Not that it really comes handy in fighting crime, unless I want to be a COPS camera man; because lets face it, they run faster than most of the cops.  Truly though there are quite a few fatty marathoners.  Not competitive marathoners, but marathoners that can knock out 26.2 miles on a fairly regular basis.  So don't judge; we can do more than YOU can, so suck it.

I do run.  I'm a fairly slow runner.  I'm a pretty "sturdy" woman, but pretty fit and active; it just doesn't really look like it.  I am working on somethings to see if it changes; like swimming, lifting and not just running.  Sometimes the problem with endurance running is your body gets pretty used to it and doesn't really make a lot of changes to the rest of your body.  Its an age old question that I've read quite a bit about lately; "why do people GAIN weight while training for a marathon?" It really seems like a paradox.  But the physiology really is unmistakable.  So now that I have the marathon under my belt, I am changing it up quite a bit and paying a lot more attention to my eating habits.  They are pretty bad for someone who thought they were pretty good.

Swimming, I am beginning to enjoy more.  I love to swim, as in play and splash and what not.  True stroke swimming is difficult and things just get in the way.  I've had to overcome the embarrassment of being a sturdy woman in my bathing suit, goggles and swim cap. I feel as if I'm trying to fool people into thinking I'm an athlete and have it written all over my body otherwise.  The thing is, I really have to start believing I'm an athlete and treating myself like an athlete so I can truly become an athlete. Thinking is essential to reaching any goal.

So as my journey progresses and I run my measly little half in September : ) hopefully I start looking like the awesome superhero that I feel like.  I already have a cape hidden in my closet, now I just need a name.