Anna Be.

From Runner's World: Is it possible to be fat  and  fit? At 250 pounds, distance runner Mirna Valerio provides an inspiring example. So, she's about my age and about my size -- yes, I know those two things are not the complete measure of a person -- and she LOVES running.  She is a serious ultra-runner, fast, and a high school track coach. She takes a selfie before every run, a practice I would like to start because it is  worth documenting. It was about a year ago I started this running habit. I scheduled my first run for a weekend in September so Nick could go with me. I needed moral support. I have learned over and over this year that there are many runners like me out there. I want to know all of them! My half marathon training is going great. Running in August in Texas is a son of a B, but I'm doing it so I can appreciate how awesome September, October, and November will feel in comparison. Mamie is excellent company on my runs; she keeps me alert by per...

Woke up to our third air conditioning breakdown in less than a month.  Yes, three different breakdowns, three different problems. I curse south Texas for being hot enough to make my AC units attempt suicide every other week. Speaking of anxiety... months ago, my therapist recommended I start an old-school gratitude journal to help me be more positive and stop catastrophizing, blah blah blah. I guess it works or whatever, gah. I thought it would be fun to take a super short flashback to see what I was grateful for exactly one month ago! But guess what, I wasn't writing in my gratitude journal on July 18 because I was in Cape Cod! I was likely exceedingly grateful to be vacationing with our best friends, to be 1,000 miles away from the Texas heat, for lobster rolls, for toes in the sand, for a happy little girl. One day I will try to convey why this little strip of land in the Atlantic Ocean feels like it's supposed to be my home at least part of the year. I just d...

This is the face an old lady made when I ran past her today. She was watering her lawn as I approached, pushing Mamie in the jogging stroller. Mamie attracts 90 percent of attention from onlookers when we are out, so the lady’s face started out in a sweet smile cast down on my gorgeous little baby.  Then she looked up at me and made the face I recreated here. That face was my Redbull — it gave me wings! I smiled — I laughed — and I ran faster so she could see me kicking it from behind. No, I don’t know what she was thinking, but I wish/hope/want to pretend she was thinking, “How is this muy gorda running in front of my eyes?!”  I run three times a week now, and I pass approximately five people on the sidewalk each time. I always smile and say “Hi.” Countless cars pass, but I have no way to know if they notice me. If I’m running on the treadmill at the gym, at least 20 people get a chance to see me booking it and smiling as I go. I’m really proud I have so many o...