Aug 22
Nathan Sorrell is a 12 year old boy who has expanded the definition of courage. Nathan is not alone. He is supported by millions of men and women who are fit and active, overweight or not. -And yet, for most Americans, Nathan was a surprise. People think there are no role models for overweight athletes. They're wrong.
We are all those role models. Let's inspire a few more folks to join us.
Jun 17
We often think that life would be grand if we were in charge. I draw on my inner Queen to ponder the ways in which the world would be different if a Plus Runner held all the power.
Apr 3
Triathlete apparel for plus sized athletes has come a long way but still requires some patience and skill to find the perfect racing and training kit. Here, for spring 2012, a few choice recommendations from the Plus Runner on the pieces that will take you through spring and summer training, and racing all season long - and a guide to finding your own pieces with minimal hassle and maximum reward for the seasons ahead.
Mar 25
There is something that happens when you become a regular runner. You believe less in luck, and more in training. Run any half marathon or marathon, and train seriously for it, and you begin to believe that with the right nutrition plan, training plan, pace buddies, shoes, gear, clothing, and attention, you can control how and when you finish that race.
For about 10 years, that’s how it went for me. If I ran a bad race, it was usually on me – I either hadn’t trained enough, or hadn’t thought through the course. If I got hurt it was on me. I didn’t stretch enough, or I didn’t stop when the pain told me to. In 2009, when plantar fasciitis reared its head while I was intermittently running (and still training), I didn’t listen up and slow down, and I paid in the end, with a two year condition that only recently healed after two bouts of PT and finally, a quick surgery.
Those of you who read regularly know that I moved to London from Chicago in 2011. It was 10 weeks after surgery, and those first few weeks, months in London were tough. I was in trainers every day, and the pain was still pretty regular. By summer, it was getting better. By September, it was gone. I felt strong, and I had lost some weight, and I started to run again. It was awesome.
I ran on the common by my house, and on the road when I traveled. I ran so much when I was home in Cincinnat and Chicago at Christmas that I felt like I would never stop running again. I felt the kind of joy that I remembered from those first days of running. And so when, in mid-February, it snowed here, I felt like a kid who’d won the lottery – lucky, lucky, lucky to get to run on one of my favorite vistas – a park in snow.
I laced up my trainers and went out for a run. It was a bit squishy – a bit slid-y. A bit wet. I caught up with my brother and nephew building a snow fort, and we had a great time. I ran home, and all was well. And three hours later, I left my house to go to a Superbowl party, slipped on a patch of ice in front of my apartment, and felt my knee slam into itself in a way that wasn’t good. I held up, and held on, for a minute. Then I kept walking to the train. By midnight, mid-way through the game, I couldn’t go down the stairs without it locking up. The next day, I compounded the mistake in a pair of heels at work.
Six weeks later, I have the diagnosis. I’ve been benched for that time, icing, resting, ibuprofening away here, and it’s not gotten any better. Well, technically, that’s not true. I can now go down the stairs without flinching (but not without a rail).
I’ve managed to tear the meniscus in my knee in two places. One on the inside left, one on the center of my left knee. One would likely heal. The other, not so much. The doctor tells me that there’s an easy procedure to clean it up, a keyhole surgery where they trim down the cartilege or something and that makes it better. I’m working out the logistics of a second opinion, a schedule, and a plan.
In the meantime, I’m pondering luck. Maybe I’ve been lucky all these years to have so few injuries. Maybe I’ve been stronger, and maybe now I’m just old and out of shape. I don’t really know. I do know that this makes me want to throw things at a wall, and that’s not so good. So I’m going back to the original plan – to have one. Get a doc. Get an opinion. Get the surgery. Get back out there.
Lucky as I may have been, I never saw that patch of ice, and I had no chance to adjust. I was unlucky. It happens. So now it’s time to get to the pool, and walk while I can, and bottle the frustration of living in this lovely city which makes cycling a bit too dangerous and swimming a bit too inconvenient. The excuses will have to go for awhile, while I try to get the groove back.
Luck’s a bitch. But she’s got nothing on me, and my plan.
See you on the path….
What amazed me this Saturday wasn’t that the Channel exists; it’s that it took me 9 months to realize it’s a fifty minute train ride to get there. How did I not know this? How had I wasted so many weekends in my apartment, watching re-runs of True Blood or reading the latest novel, while this gorgeous countryside awaited me?
I wasn’t disappointed in the trip. My friend from work and I (Carolina, she of the blue top in the pics below) met up with a Meetup group who offered a guided hike (great when someone else does the navigating!). All we had to do was show up at Liverpool Street Station at 9 a.m. I, of course, was late. But I wasn’t so late that I didn’t make the train – and I met some really cool people along the way. Below, a few pics from the trip (because y’all occasionally ask)! Yes, you’ll note that I’m hiking in jeans (a first for me). I wouldn’t normally, but it was an okay way to go, even if the mud was up to my ankles by the time we got back on the train.
And also, a word about the views – this place was really spectacular (it’s called Leigh on Sea) and it’s going to be host to the mountain biking course for the Olympics for 2012. And the best part about it, yes, was the small sea town at the end of our journey. Ironically, we never got to the wide open beach-type view you expect; but for a little while at the end, we stood by the sea wall, and watched a great sunset, enjoying the freshest fish and some excellent company. I’d write more, but there’s nothing pithy or wise to say about it – I went, it was fun, and I’ll do something again. All in all, an excellent adventure for a fifty minute train ride just East of London.
Carolina leading up to Hadleigh Castle
Walking into the castle grounds- it was on a fault line and shortly after built in the 13th century, began falling off a cliff. Literally.
Don't I look like the picture of fun? Yeah. It was pretty cool. That's the sea behind me in the distance.
Jan 16
There's lots of guidance out there for mothers and fathers of little girls, but very little for how to be an active, encouraging, parent of a little girl who's a budding athlete. Here, a few choice recommendations for those sleep-deprived, much loved, parents of little girl athletes everywhere.
Jun 14
I’ve been getting quite a few questions about wetsuits lately, and thought it would be helpful for those of you who don’t train in a group to see a demo of the best way to put on your wetsuit.
My best experience putting on a wetsuit is always at dawn on a beach somewhere, when no one else is around and the suit slides right on. The worst are usually mid-morning, on a beach somewhere, when there’s an audience of non-athletes who are just trying to find ways to amuse themselves.
Now, fair warning: this model (provided to us by Xterra) seems to just slip right in to her suit. I can honestly say that never, in my 12+ years of racing, have I “slipped in” to a wetsuit. But she’s got the idea right. It’s like pantyhose, only tighter. It’s like a hot, thick, pair of leather pants with a chubby liner. Right. It sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not all bad. Just remember the following tips before you try this at home:
1) Never, ever ever, ever ever do this when you’re hot and sweaty. At least try to start from a position of cool, calm dryness. If you can’t, well, just be prepared to be dripping when you’re done.
2) Consider using Body Glide around your ankles to help with the on/off of legs (I glide up the back of my calves). You can also use something called “Suit Juice” which is a godsend if you can find it.
3) Body Glide the underside of your arms (the part that lays flat against the rubber by your bra) if you’re wearing a sleeveless suit.
4) Body Glide the back of your neck where the suit ties up – this is especially true if your suit is a bit big on top (as mine is because I had to size up).
5) Don’t get into your suit more than 30 minutes before your start. Otherwise, it’s like a sausage-fest-bakeoff in the morning heat and you’ll have worked yourself into a hot state before getting in the water. Put it off and then put it on.
6) Take one last bathroom break before getting in the suit. Yep, didn’t think of that, did you?
7) If the suit is a bit short for you in the legs, that’s okay – the most important part of hte fit is to not have a gap underneath your crotch. Pull the legs up if you must, but if there’s space between the suit and your crotch (the low-rider syndrome), shimmy the suit up until it’s even, and then test by connecting the back closure. If the suit is pulling on you in the front, try to adjust, swim in it once for testing, and decide if it’s the right size for you.
That’s it from here. Enjoy the video. I’d put one up of me doing it, but I just can’t afford the hassle of becoming the wetsuit pinup model 
May 30
Finding triathlon clothing that fits is a serious challenge for plus size athletes new to the sport. Use this handy post to browse some of summer's best answers to this challenge!
Jan 2
We’ve all heard the story about the friend who received some bad medical news. He’s got (heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain, back pain, gall bladder problems) and knows, cognitively, that changing his behavior may be the only way to live a full life. He wants to see his grandchildren grow old, or meet the love of his life, or go on that vacation he’s always dreamed of. But he can’t, because he’s seriously overweight and he can’t even envision getting started on a new program, let alone what he might look like if he were to become that guy.
That guy is, fundamentally, where we all have to start as we picture who we want to be when we lace up our shoes each day. That guy is us – minus 20, 50, 100, or 200 pounds. So how do we start to see ourselves as that guy?
I’ve been thinking about this a bit lately, thanks to my job. Interestingly enough, there’s a whole field of study out there about what it takes to change behavior for good. Not surprisingly, it’s called “change management”. If you work for a large company, chances are you’ve been through a process that uses the principles of change management at one time or another. At its core, there are a few lessons about making change stick – personally, they’re slightly different, but this is what’s been hitting home for me lately. To get someone to change their behavior, you have to do a couple of key things. First, that person has to:
1) Believe that the benefits of changing far outweigh the current situation; and
2) Be able to envision themselves living out that change when it’s complete.
I don’t know about you, but that’s a really high bar. Most of us, even if we’re overweight, probably think that our life is okay. But if I were to inventory what’s good – and what I think needs to be better in my life – I have to be DAMN honest about it to admit that the benefits of changing outweigh the current situation. Curious about what it might look like for you? Well, here’s my take on it (it being a combination of weight AND fitness, which for me, are intertwined. I don’t talk exclusively about weight, and I don’t talk exclusively about fitness.)
What are the current disadvantages of living in this body?
1) I’m active, but the impact of being overweight is starting to wear on me. After years of running, I have an injury which is certainly related to my weight, and which isn’t going away. It’s keeping me from doing what I love.
2) I’d love to date more! I know, I’m fabulous and all, but the fact remains, ours is a superficial society, and men generally have a probem dating overweight women. There’s a blanket assessment that if you’re overweight, you’re inactive. I’m not finding the kind of guy who I want to, and part of it is related to this.
3) I’m a shopaholic, and until I start designing clothes, I have a hate/hate relationship with plus-sized fashion. It’s fine -but I’d like to look better in my clothes.
4) Assorted disadvantages (none of which are nearly as important to me as the first three: increased risk for various things (cancer, hypertension, high blood pressure); feeling judged or uncomfortable in front of others (trains and planes); and the inability to wear not-even-killer 2″ high heels due to this running injury.) Ahem.
What are the advantages of changing?
1) Confidence and comfort in myself and my appearance, wherever I may go.
2) Ability to take on any physical challenge, with just the “regular” things holding me back!
3) Ability to walk into a store and buy anything. That looks good. This too becomes more important as work may have me relocating soon to London, where there are fewer clothes and lines for people my size.
4) Better Hanger Appeal. This is what Nina Garcia of Project Runway calls a look that knocks you out on the hanger – not just when on your body. For me, this is the dating issue – I’m great once you’re sitting next to me, but improving my Hanger Appeal would surely help (for example, in that picture up above, I’d like to be slightly less chesty, and be baring some Michelle Obama arms!)
5)Decreased risk of injury. I have no numbers to support this, but physics tells me that the bigger I am, the harder I fall. It also means I land harder, and I believe that my increase in weight is partly to blame for my 2-year bout with Plantar Fasciitis. I’d like that to go away.
6) Decreased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, blah blah blah. These are longer-term variables, and I’ll admit, they don’t make me swoon. But they should be considered as positives.
So that’s my list. Now, I’m going to ask you: what’s on yours? What do you find is keeping you on the couch, and off the path? What do you think motivates you to get moving, and start to change?
Once you’ve thought about that, I’d encourage you to think about the next big question (part 2 in our analysis above): can you actually see yourself getting to a point in your life where you moved more, weighed less, and felt better about yourself? Can you picture yourself doing it, and what you might look like if you did it all the time? Can you see yourself in a different, stronger body?
Personally, I think this is the hardest part. I don’t care how long you’ve been battling your demons, the mental act of envisioning yourself as something different takes more than imagination- it takes a leap of faith.
Maybe the last picture you have of yourself at a reasonable weight was when you were a teenager. Maybe you’ve never had that photo. If that’s the case, here’s what I want you to do: find a 5k in your town. Go to the local gym. Stop in at the YMCA. And look around. Really, really, look. There will be people there of every size. Picture yourself standing between them. Right now. Watch them run, or walk, or lift weights, or swim. Picture yourself joining them. If you can picture that – just joining them for one day – you’ll have already done something you didn’t think possible – you will have started seeing yourself as an active person.
It’s not easy to do if you’ve been hurt, or sedentary, or just plain broken. It’s not easy when you have a history of failed attempts. If you do, don’t ignore them – use them. I like to think of starting a new fitness or exercise program as the best things that baking has taught me. If I burn the cookies on a certain pan, next time up I either turn down the temperature or shorten the baking time. It’s the same thing with working out. I know without a doubt that I will never – ever – successfully maintain an early morning swim routine. I hate getting up early, and I might make it one day, but I’ll never make it more than two weeks. So if I’m going to swim, I have to join a gym that has hours after work, and I have to plan accordingly. I know that works for me, so you won’t find me committing to pre-work swims any time soon.
I also know that when I make moving more easy and accessible, I’m likely to do it more often. That’s why there’s a balance ball, weights, and a bike trainer in my house for the winter. Also, because I’m likely to work late, eat dinner, and veg instead of pedaling in front of the TV for 30 minutes a day, I know that I have to plan each week what I’m going to try to do. Even if I don’t get the exact schedule done as listed, I’ll be more likely to stick with it if it’s written down.
But those are my lessons, and those are my adjustments. Think about what your lessons are as you embark on your new programs this year. Think about what will help you be most successful at whatever you choose to focus on. Think about long term change. And then see yourself completing it.
Do me a favor, too. If you happen to go to that gym, or that YMCA, or that class, have someone take a picture of yourself. Then print it out, and put it on your fridge. You can be sweaty, and you can be awkward, and it won’t matter a bit. Just get that picture up there, so you can see yourself – every day – as that more active person.
And when you’re done thinking about all that, consider joining me for John Bingham’s 100 Days Challenge. You can find the event page on Facebook here. Simply put, John’s goal is to get people to commit to moving – just moving – for 30 minutes a day – for the next 100 days. Well, technically, the next 98 days. If you missed the first two, that’s okay. Just jump in when you’re ready – all you have to do is commit to some intentional movement for 30 minutes each day. Doesn’t matter how, or where. For more info, check out John’s video here, and if you want to track your workout, check in here.
Not sure if you can do it? Well, start small. Think about doing an easy yoga class at your park district. Or just swimming slowly in your local pool. Consider trying out FitTV’s great list of everyday at home workouts – or just commit to parking your car at the mall and walking for 30 minutes a day.
Today, I parked as far as possible from my destination at the mall, and walked 3X10s as I broke up my day. It was easy, it was effective, and it’s done. It’s just one step to seeing that person I know I can be.
Please consider joining me. Here’s to a great 2011! I look forward to seeing you all here!!
Sallie
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