Race weight

I ran today for the first time in over a week. I was laid up most of this week with an upper respitory infection. Awesome opossum.

Now that my ears don't feel as if they may actually explode things are on the up and up. Therefore I decided to give running a go.

Needless to say, it didn't go so hot.

It's always really hard for me to tell myself that it's okay, because I am not one hundred percent. And I know that, but when I am running its miserable. So today I am just thankful that I was able to lace up my shoes and get out there to pound some pavement.  Some short pavement, but it was beautiful and it was outside.

That brings me to a secondary topic that I have been thinking about for a while now and that is weight. Weight is always as taboo subject even more so for girls.

Near as I can tell most girls have three stages of weigh: goal weight, comfortable weight, and by god I will never weigh that much weight. I for one am guilty of it. I usually hover in between goal and comfort. It depends on how much beer I have had....

Ive been researching around about "race weight" and I've been coming across some issues.

1. Active.com says I should weigh between 13-17 pounds ideally. Somehow I think they may be missing a couple of digits in that one.. I found another one on runningtools.com and it says I am right on track, if not a little under. Finding a clear answer is tough.

2. With all the information out there, it's hard to get a steady answer and when you really only hear the number, it's working as a disadvantage. Girls tend to gravitate towards what a number means in their head vs. what it means for them physically. We forget that muscle weighs more than fat.

3. The number goes hand in hand with proper nutrition and fueling. I by no means am a perfectionist (unless you look at my closet.) but remembering to properly fuel is tough when you are fixated on achieving a number. People are busy, life is tough, but make it a priority. I have been pushing myself to make it one and the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is make a meal, so I make light easy prepared meals in advance so I can just heat them up.

4. I understand that weight is a factor in healthy living, but why does it always have to be about weight? Why can't it be about fueling and training yourself to be the best you can be and making yourself happy. A lot of people using running as a weight loss program and that is an amazing feat don't get me wrong, I did it as well, but we get caught up in the weight loss portion of it. Running is about endorphins, challenges, and making yourself proud. Losing weight is just a side effect. Running impacts more of your life than just weight and I wish more magazines, articles and literature out there showed that.

Okay I'm done being serious, but I've been thinking about that one for a while now.

I hope everyone has a lovely Labor Day weekend. I am headed off to work and then tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY!

Woooooo.

(for those of you wondering, I wrote this on my iPad so that's why things are properly capitalized.) and pardon any typos...