Wouldn’t Life Be Easier if You Lost 20 Pounds?

In the coming weeks and months, Top That Mom is soliciting stories from friends, celebrities, and the world at large so stay tuned for broader posts.

About 8 years ago I discovered my body does not respond well to late nights, endless drinking, and recreational drug testing. This is not to say I don't occasionally rally and stay up until 12:30am and that I don’t have three Manhattan’s on a weeknight when I know two is my limit, but exhaustion and hangovers are not good for my complexion. As a result of my discovery, I turned to exercise. I started with “boot camp” style work out class and liked it. I started running, I got better at running, discovered I like running, and from that point on I have done road races and triathlons of varying distances.

At one point in the not-to-distant past I was training for a half-marathon. Training for sporting events is a little like a sunburn – completely self-inflicted. So when I launch into complaints about blisters, chafing, and sore knees or bitch about the need to go to bed at 9:00pm on a summer Saturday so I can do a long run on Sunday morning, I don’t get a lot of sympathy. But I do get support and words of encouragement as encapsulated in this exchange on the phone with my mom:

“I ran 10 miles today and my knees are killing me. I have ice bags strapped to both legs with ace bandages. Other than that, I feel pretty good.”

Mom said, “Don’t you think running would be easier for you if you lost 20 pounds?”

For the record, if I lost 20 pounds I would be thinner than the thinnest contestant on America's Next Top Model. Top that mom.