Don't Tell Me I Can't

I’ve always been athletic from the time I was old enough to throw a ball, swing a tennis racquet or lift a weight. I literally grew up in the gym, on the field or on the court. I was that girl who was ready to lace up any pair of athletic shoes and make it happen. I still am that girl she just got a little lost along the way.

Through the years my eating changed the way I viewed sports and physical activity. I was still ready to play but my larger size limited the amount of exercise I could do. And honestly it was just damn embarrassing to work-out, play tennis, hike or golf rockin’ a big girl body.

So less than five months ago when I decided I didn’t want to be “that fat girl” anymore much to my surprise I began hearing a lot of you can’t do that, you can’t still play that sport, you can’t run that  distance, you’re too old for that.

W-H-A-T! are you effing kidding me? You don’t get to vote on my fitness level, my commitment to my health, my desire to compete at a higher level, my guts and my determination. No, no, no, you do not have that privilege. Sometimes I’m amazed at what people will say. When I posted on my regular Facebook account and began talking to friends and family about the cross country half marathon in November I would be running I literally had people crawling out of the wood work telling me that at 50 I was too old, I was going to get hurt, I couldn’t run that far, I’d slow down the race. And best of all…what the heck was I trying to prove?

For starters don’t tell me I can’t cuz that’s when shit is gonna get serious! I’ve turned those “negative nellies” as my Grandpa would call them into my biggest motivators. Since those comments came flooding in I have shaved 3 minutes and 7 seconds off of my mile time and 18:50 off of my five mile time. I still have 33 days until race day and here’s what I know for sure...I will be lighter and I will be faster, and I will be that 50 year old Mexi-"CAN" girl that finishes the race vs. the Mexi-"CAN’T" girl that lets stupid  comments get in the way of her success.

We only get one shot at this life and it’s up to us to make the very best out of each day. As Steve Prefontaine said “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”

 Let’s win the day ladies!