Kicking Butt and Fat Shaming: Donut Run Recap

Nothing makes me more irate than fat shamers. There has been a trend in the past few years, maybe because of the so- called "fat acceptance" movement, that it is OK to shame people publically for their body mass. Well, guess what? It's not. The assumption is that people who gain weight or have always been bigger are lazy, do not understand nutrition, and generally have something morally wrong with them. The comments that I have seen lately in reference to Kelly Clarkson and Alyssa Milano's weight have made me literally ill to my stomach. The common consensus is that someone loving and accepting themselves is not OK if you happen to poses a larger body. It's not OK because it "promotes unhealthy behavior". Oooo it's just so unhealthy, people say. In my experience everyone who uses this excuse to fat shame do not care about fat people's health. the truth is, fat people do not need to be told they're fat. We already know that. We already know that we're at risk for other health related problems because of our weight. We already know that we are not aesthetically pleasing and that we jiggle when we exercise. We DO NOT NEED TO BE TOLD THIS. Fat, in and of itself, is not a health issue. It is a bi product of other issues. Always. It's a symptom. Now what it's a symptom of is wide and varied. It could be as simple as a sedentary lifestyle. It could be as complicated as autoimmune disease.

Anyway... when dealing with fat people and health, we should be encouraging healthy behaviors. Not shaming people for the way they look. We should be rooting them on when they are doing things that are good for them, not criticizing them because their butt jiggles.

So, back to my point... recapping today's race. I ran in the Donut Run 5k in Kelseyville today. I have not run a 5k since August and have been sort of easing into physical exercise since my accident. It seems as though my thyroid is leveled out as I have been steadily losing weight with just a few tweaks in consumption here and there. I have figured out that I really do not like ear buds of any sort so I have been running with my phone in my bra and the music turned on through the speakers high enough for me to hear but low enough that it's not causing a distraction to others .So I turned on my phone and started my run jamming to the Black Eyed Peas. The first mile wasn't too bad. I started feeling some heaviness in my legs but nothing I couldn't deal with. I have been unable to find my Garmin so I have no clue what pace I was at during that time but I did pass the 1 mile mark at about 13 minutes. The second mile is always my "resting" mile before I kick it into gear for the last mile or so. Around mile one two women pass me and I can hear them talking in front of me. I do not like to "pace" people. Although I run for time, I do not run as a competition against other people. I'm only competing with myself and my previous times. But there are times when you're keeping up with those in a similar grove. These two women were talking about me in front of me, saying how they wish they had music and that I had the right idea having music piping in from my bra.

At the first turn around Sarah from City Fitness saw me and we high fived. It's always  nice to see her, she is so encouraging. So I'm walking and getting passed, not a big deal. Finished mile two in about 17 minutes. I was in a groove and not feeling too bad. I can tell I need new shoes because it was about this time that my feet started to feel like they were blistering. I kept telling myself that I was going to run the last mile or so but I could feel that I was tiring out. Now mind you I just got over having pneumonia as well so my lungs were kind of killing me. I was fighting off some coughing fits when the second turn around came but then felt better. I sped up about that time and I was coming up on the women who passed me earlier, who had walked the whole way except for the small amount of time that they had ran in the beginning. So I heard one of the women say "Oh I hear her behind us". At that point I was at a light jog (which was exerting to me). So I passed them on the right at almost exactly mile three, knowing only a tenth of a mile to go and the ending in sight. So I sped up even a bit more.

That's when I heard it... giggling. And then "Look at her butt, it's just so there. her thighs are jiggling. Just disgusting. Why wouldn't she wear looser pants? It looks like animals are fighting in there". I looked down. of course I was jiggling. I'm a big girl. I jiggled when I was a smaller girl too. I'm just a jiggly person. And there was nothing wrong with my pants.

I was shocked and disturbed. Here I am, a cancer survivor, a person with a major thyroid disorder and overweight and they're making fun of me for running? Why? I shook it off and finished. Sarah happened to be at the finishing line and cheered me in. I really had wanted to finish in under 50 minutes and I did! 48:49.5. I couldn't have been prouder had it been a PR.

Such things obviously bother me as much as I don't want them to. Everyone has their faults. But, why be mean about it? It serves no point and doesn't help anyone.