Ok, a little post I hope will give you a big shot of inspiration.  And to do so, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Here he is:

Just look at that smile!  Look at the shirt with the turtles on it that reads “Slow AF Run Club!!!”  Recently featured in the NY Times,  Martinus Evans started running after feeling angry at how he was treated at a doctor’s visit.  Within a year he was running a marathon and began to gain followers on his Instagram @300poundsandrunning where he shared his experiences of running as a big man.  After years of being harassed by thin, white runners, he started a club to encourage and support those who wanted to run, but felt they didn’t fit what a runner should do or should look like.  Now with over 10,000 members (10,001 with me now) the Slow AF Run Club is all about forming and supporting an inclusive community for people that want to run regardless of ability or size.  It’s not centered on weight loss or winning races, but well-being, measuring success not by numbers (speed or weight) but by engagement and resilience.  

After reading his book, I’m back at it, having given up running because I felt slow and old.  I’m still very slow and am getting even older, but the Club has given me a new perspective. If I want to run, and if I go out and run, then I’m a runner!  It feels much better to do it in my own way than to stop myself from doing it because I’m not doing it a certain way. This also got me thinking about all the other things we hold ourselves back from doing because we’re worried about failing, looking ridiculous, and being judged.  I’ve seen the question asked, if you could be guaranteed of success, what would you try?  It gets right to the heart of our insecurity and how the pressure to be great at something often keeps us from participating.  Think about all the possibilities if you had the Slow AF Club type of support to let go of expectations and participate in something you wanted to try: the Clumsy AF Club, the Dumb AF Club, the Awkward AF Club, it goes on and on.  

And it’s not just our internal voices that are so judgmental, it is a reality.  We have a cultural bias to think that once you’re an adult, you should only do something if you’re good at it or fit the mold of what is expected.  You’ll be given side-eyed looks, unsolicited advice, or even made fun of at times.  Martinus shares about his experience of being told during races to “lose weight and come back when you’re faster.”  He’s had the police called on him for being a black man running through certain neighborhoods.  And he’s not been able to find running clothes in his size, being shamed by store clerks and salespeople.  That’s why in his book he writes about the real world for us slow runners and how to get through it.  His chapters cover finding clothes online, chafing realities and compression clothing, how to choose races that won’t close down the course before you’re done, finishing last, and how to let go of comparing yourself to others.

In whatever we try it’s so important to set our own goals and measure our progress and success in our own way.  I’m so inspired by Martinus’ courage to challenge the norms and speak out about it.  And by the huge response, he’s clearly tapped into a need that many of us had to give ourselves permission to be in our bodies in our own way and for society to make space for all types of people on the trail, the track, and the race course.  I’m now picking a race to train for and am proud AF to be a turtle!!!  I hope anyone reading this will also be inspired to take a chance and challenge a norm for something that excites them, even if they are slow, clumsy, dumb, or awkward.  What limiting stereotype would you like to say “F” it” to?