It's not a cape, it's my running skirt

I was part of a political training this past week. From the word go, nothing seemed to be going right for this training and there were people counting on us. We could have called it a day and refunded the training participants money, but instead we chose to power through and see what we could accomplish together. It wasn't perfect, but we were still able to deliver for the training participants and we all learned something. That lesson applies to a lot of things, and that includes running. Some runs and races I start out all wrong. Too fast, too tight, too sore. What matters is, when the wheels fall off do you walk away or do you power through? The trainings I give, and the runs I do when I struggle and overcome obstacles often mean the most to me. I learn and I do it better next time.

I started running in 2011. The decision to start couch to 5k happened after I heard the words that every woman dreads hearing from their doctor: obese. I knew I was heavier than I wanted to be, but surely I wasn't clinically overweight. The scaled don't lie. At 5'3" I was clocking in at 170 lbs. Me in 2011 at my heaviest  I ran exclusively on treadmills when I started because I was so ashamed of being a beginner, not looking like a runner and risking people seeing me. When you're heavier, it's amazing how often you wish you weren't so visible, and didn't take up so much space. I even went to the office gym during off peak hours to avoid being in the same room with other athletes. However, running inside presented another problem. It gets really hot, even in capris. My lack of a thigh gap has always - even today - made shorts impossible and uncomfortable for me. That's when I found it. Running skirts. I looked forward to getting them because