Nobody cares if you're not a good dancer. Just get up and dance. The same holds true for racing. Whether first or last, we all cross that same finish line. Just get out there and run.
- Dean Karnazes

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Awesome and By The Way, I'm Fat Too

So, the internet has been abuzz over this little Facebook post shared by various outlets, and a lot of people called the post inspirational and awesome and full of unicorns and rainbow farts. You get where I'm going with this is. Then, The Anti-Jared posted this rebuttal, which I originally really liked but the more I read it the more I saw some hateful things written in there too. Now, you lucky readers get my take on the whole debacle. So, grab a beverage of your choice (mine is the teavana mint tea from Starbucks in case you were curious), and get comfortable.

I got the general message behind the original post, I really do, but I personally find that people can be a little condescending when it comes to cheering on the fat folks running or working out. It may be my own issues, but my blog, my views, and that's just how I feel about this. I know that many people are coming from a genuine place, and it's easy to differentiate the assholes from the genuinely awesome people; I'm not a total hateful ass wipe. This post felt a little back handed to me, and as a general rule, you probably shouldn't try to pretend you know what a person is thinking. When I am running, there are all kinds of things going through my head but I can assure you that my weight is one of the last things I think about. I am usually thinking about not dying, not getting swept during a race, sparkly unicorns, how I am never signing up for a race again, then minutes later, I am thinking about the next million races I want to do. The point being, that you don't get to pretend to know what I am thinking, unless you know me, then you know about the unicorns and what not. Another thing, is that you don't know my story, it's just as simple as that. I have been on a roller coaster ride with my weight for sometime and working on making a better life for myself and my family for some years.

So, the general idea that I want to get across is that I only want your encouragement because I'm AWESOME, not because I am fat. Seriously, I have done some pretty kick ass things in the last few years, and I have more incredible things to come. I sometimes have a hard time seeing all the things that I have accomplished, and again, that's my issue. Back to the point, I am not looking for a pity cheer or a pity high five, you can keep those. What I do love and try to give everyone is a genuine show of support because we are awesome and because we are doing awesome things. If you see me at a race, cheer for me because this is my ___th race, not because I am fat and bringing up the tail end. Give me a high five because you know that I am out there doing what some people think is impossible. Respect me because I have finished NINE half marathons, and countless other races, not because I am fat and doing it. Yes, I am fat, and I may always be fat, but I am pretty freaking awesome too! Go out there and be awesome too!

Photo Source
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

1 comment:

Janelle @ Run With No Regrets said...

I hadn't heard about that article...wow. What a jerk. All runners, no matter what they look like or how fast or slow they run should be treated with RESPECT. It's not easy for any of us! Kudos to the man who replied to that terrible message. And thanks for providing your perspective.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...