'I Was Tired Of Being The "Funny And Fat" Friend—So Now I Run Ultramarathons'

I looked in the mirror one morning,
"I Was Tired Of Being The “Funny And Fat” Friend—And Now I Run Ultramarathons"
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I am a marathoner, ultramarathoner, obstacle course racer, yoga lover, cyclist, and gym nut. But less than five years ago, I weighed more than 265 pounds.

In 2011, at age 26, I was diagnosed with sciatica, a condition in which pain radiates down the lower back and through the hips, legs, and butt, which rendered me pretty immobile and unable to work for a year and a half. At that point, I already weighed 220 pounds, mainly due to my previous pregnancy and depression. Because sciatica made it painful to maintain my normal activity levels (which, if I’m being honest, weren’t very high), my 5 foot 3 body took on another 45 pounds.That day came May 28th, 2013, and I still remember it vividly. I looked in the mirror, and I couldn’t turn my neck. It was probably one of the lowest days of my life. I was sick of not being able to take my son to the park because I would get too winded, sick of getting unsolicited health advice from friends who were trying to “help,” and sick of trying diets that just didn’t work.

I’d never been very active in the past, but I’d finally reached my breaking point, and I decided to finally give fitness a try.