The Story of An Unlikely Runner

If you would’ve known me before I was a runner, I weighed 230 lbs (maybe more) on a 5 feet, 4 inch frame. I was extremely quiet and withdrawn. My low self-esteem made me feel worthless. I spent many hours in my bedroom suppressing my feelings with food, which I believed filled some sort of empty void. It was fear that held me back the most. It became so powerful and overwhelming that I was pushed into the background of my own life. My fears were bricks, and my thoughts were the mortar. With this combination, I built a toxic wall that kept me from living – a metaphorical prison.

It’s obvious that I was never considered an athlete. I was always the kid who got picked last in gym class. I was always the kid who cut corners while doing laps when the teacher wasn’t looking. And I was always the kid who tried everything to get out of running the mile. Heck, I didn’t even enjoy playing tag as a kid because it meant I had to run. Flash forward 15 or so years later, and I’m on my way to becoming a 15 time marathoner.

But how did I get here?

My journey was far from easy. It all started in 2009 when I decided to begin watching ‘The Biggest Loser’. The show sparked my initial inspiration to lose weight. I’ve tried fad diets in the past, and while they were successful, my results didn’t last more than a couple of months. The problem was that fad diets are difficult to stick with long term. It’s just not realistic or let’s face it, enjoyable. So, when I started eating *normal* again, I quickly gained back all the weight I had lost.

At first, I just assumed that the show’s participants were so successful because they had immediate and easy access to gym equipment, trainers, doctors, healthy meals, etc. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that you could be handed a magic wand, but unless you’re in the right head space, long term success is extremely difficult. I was more than ready to begin my journey. I just wanted to live. In my mind, I simply had no other option.

I started with gradual changes to my diet and lifestyle. After 1 year, I was significantly lighter and on the path to a new life. I thought for sure that I was destined to be happy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. I was the same miserable, hot mess in a much smaller package. It wasn’t long before I found myself stuck in a downward spiral after becoming afraid of returning to the body I once harbored. I found myself on the other end of the spectrum and had a full-blown eating disorder. I was chained to the scale, and my life was consumed by numbers. I lost all sense of reality. I felt empty.

Running a Marathon Explained by Friends (GIFS)

Hello readers! I decided to create a post filled with GIF images from Friends describing what it’s like training for / running a marathon. I hope this post brings you laughter during this not-so-laughable time! I did this in the past with New Girl GIFS!

When you finish that final long run:

When you show off that awkward runner’s tan:

When you’re halfway through the taper:

When you start carb loading during race week:

When you’re at the expo and want all the things:

When you’re wondering if you put the best personalization on your bib:

When your alarm goes off at an ungodly hour on race morning:

When you’re a ball of nerves and excitement:

When you use the porta potty:

Virtual Pittsburgh Marathon

What is it like to run a full marathon without spectators, road closures, hydration/nutrition stations and medical support? Well, I’m about to tell you!

As a participant of this event since 2012, the Pittsburgh Marathon was a little (okay, a lot) different this year. When they made the announcement that you could either request a refund or run the race virtually, it was a no-brainer for me. The money was already out of my hands, and I’d hate for P3R to lose excessive funding for future events. Plus, what else was I going to do?

I decided to run on the date that the marathon was originally scheduled for, which was May 3rd. I had just completed the L.A. marathon in March, so I wanted some time to recover (using that term loosely) from that. And it was also a way to keep myself motivated during the pandemic/lock down. The next thing I needed to do was plan. Prior to this, I’ve run the Pittsburgh Marathon route a total of 6 times, not including the hundreds of training runs throughout the city. That being said, I’m very familiar with the course.

I Googled the turn-by-turn directions for the course and found them pretty easily. Through online word-of-mouth, I decided to cut out the section (~1 mile) after crossing the West End Bridge due to safety concerns regarding traffic and to hop on the trail in the South Side due to a section of the course not having an accessible sidewalk. Other than that, the course, without official road closures, was runnable.

I also planned on running with one other person – a girl (Ellen) I met while pacing for the Steel City Road Runners. This was supposed to be her 1st full marathon, and she was still determined to earn that title. For safety reasons, I also liked the idea of having a buddy for the duration of the run. I would’ve hated for either of us to have an emergency and be completely alone. Twenty-six-point-two miles is a long way to go!

We texted back and forth for a couple of weeks to hammer out the details. I chose to start running at 7 AM on Liberty Avenue, which is when/where the marathon typically starts. Well, at least the Elites do anyway. Me? I normally don’t cross the start line until 7:30 AM or later due to being in corral D. Ha!

May 3rd rolled around, and I woke up, got myself ready and headed downtown. It was definitely a less stressful drive, so that was a perk. I truly expected to see a lot of other runners who planned on tackling the course on this particular day, but that wasn’t the case at all. I saw maybe 3 other runners on Liberty Avenue while I waited for Ellen. The city had an eerie feel to it – a far cry from the magical feeling you can only get on race day. Regardless, I wanted to make the most of it.

Once Ellen arrived, we got started. Right off the bat, the weather was not in our favor. It was very humid, and it was only going to get hotter throughout the day. But, I would’ve been running in this weather anyway if the race wasn’t cancelled. The first couple of miles through the Strip District are a bit of a blur as we were finding our groove. The course then took us through the North Side. As we approached Heinz Field, a local photographer (Mike McNeil) was kind enough to spend his morning taking photos of any runner who crossed paths with him.

Los Angeles Marathon Part 2 – From Stadium to Sea

I should finally get on with this recap!

I woke up around the ungodly hour of 3:30 AM. I slept pretty well due to jet lag, but I still wasn’t thrilled about being awake that early despite the exciting reason! Reluctantly, I did my best to scarf down a bagel with peanut butter. But I knew if I didn’t, I’d definitely regret it at a later time during the race. I got dressed, took an awkward mirror selfie and waited until it was a reasonable time to grab an Uber.

When I did, the Uber was scheduled to arrive within minutes, so I grabbed my stuff and rushed outside. It was obviously still dark out at the time, so I was a bit leery being alone. My Uber driver was really nice, and it wasn’t long before I arrived at Union Station to take the shuttle to the start. I was exhausted, so I unfortunately left my pre-workout/water in the car. I guess out of all the things I could have left behind, that was the least of my worries. It was still annoying because I didn’t have access to caffeine. I immediately asked security if the buses parked next to us were for the race. I was unsure as the shuttles were departing from an actual bus/metro station. There were 3 of them, and not a single person had a clue about what I was talking about. They sent me on a wild goose chase only for me to come back where I started and get on one of the very buses I had originally asked about.

The start was at Dodger Stadium, and I don’t know if it was because I was tired, the darkness, the size of the venue or a combination of all 3, but I really struggled to find the things I needed.

I did drop off my bag at gear-check quickly, but all I wanted was to find water since I left mine in the Uber. I didn’t drink anything at my Airbnb since I expected to do so while waiting for the race to begin. I somehow ended up near the entrance of the VIP hospitality area, so I turned around once I made the realization. I looked like a lost puppy as I made my way through the sea of people and around the various fences, which made things extra confusing for me. Finally, I found some water and chugged it down and did my pre-race ritual of going to the bathroom 27 times.

Before I knew it, it was time to head into the corral. I was in the “general” corral, so I was way in the back. While waiting, I overheard the announcer talk about runner demographics. Over 200 twelve-year-old participants from Students Run LA were running the marathon as well as the oldest participant being 87! At 87, I hope I’m able to be upright let alone be able to run a marathon! AMAZING!

Los Angeles Marathon Part 1

Given the current global pandemic with Covid-19, I wasn’t even going to write a recap, because quite frankly, who wants to read about my marathon during this time? But I need to do something to keep my mind occupied. I’m having a really rough time dealing with the anxiety/stress that’s related to all of this. My mom and I are both immunocompromised. I have asthma and have had multiple bouts of pneumonia in recent years. My mom is a senior, and she has type 1 diabetes. My current mental state is a mess.

Anyway, I should get on with this recap.

My plane landed in LAX around 11 AM on March 7th. I retrieved my luggage and waited for the FlyAway Bus to take me to Union Station, where I would take the Metro to get to my Airbnb. My first Metro ride was interesting to say the least. There was a couple who, without a doubt, were under the influence. When I made it to downtown LA, the first thing I noticed was the strong smell of urine and weed and the little-to-no clothing some women were wearing. I had to walk over a mile to get to my Airbnb because I got off the Metro sooner than I should have. I received a lot of strange looks as I struggled with my luggage, especially through the crosswalks.