This week I ran 21.16 miles, burned 2,570.6 calories and weigh 163.3 pounds.

Times:
Tuesday: 5K - 30:54
Wednesday: 5 miles - 51:06
Thursday: 5K - 29:55
Friday: 9 miles - 1:48:00

I visited the Freescale Austin Marathon website and found this question and answer:

Q: What are Clydesdale and Filly divisions?
A: Clydesdale and filly divisions are based on a runner's weight. To be eligible for the clydesdale division, men must weigh 190lbs. or more. To be eligible for the filly division, women must weigh 140lbs. or more. All runners are placed in the open division at the time of registration. If you would like to be placed in the filly or clydesdale division, you must weigh in at the Expo on race weekend.

140 pounds! Holy crap! That is a low weight. I may have weighed 150 when I reached my full adult height at age 16. White Rock has their weights at 160 (women) - 200 (men). 140!

Granted, 140 pounds is within the "healthy" range for someone of my height (129 - 169 at 69 inches) but the idea of it being the minimum to compete in a "heavy" runner class boggles my mind. I think having the Clydesdale division is a great thing because it encourages people with different body types to participate but setting the mark so low for women, I think, sends a mixed message. I was under the impression that the weights were standard across all marathons with a Clydesdale/ Filly division.

When the picture I have on this blog was taken, I weighed 160 pounds. Yeah, that is what 160 looks like. I weighed 220 pounds when I decided to do something - that was in 1999. I've been in the "healthy" range since Feb. 2004. I've kept records since 2002 - my top weight was 204.3 pounds according to records.

How did I do it? 75% vigorous exercise - 25% controlling food portions. The Body for Life program kicked started things for me. It helped me get strong enough to run 5 miles and that led to me being strong enough to train for a marathon. I'm now training to run my third marathon. I would encourage you to participate a 12 week challenge (Body for Life or Lee Labrada's challenge or one at a local gym). These build a good foundation for a long term commitment to improving one's health. The results advertised on the websites are unusually dramatic but for most people there is an improvement after 12 weeks and more importantly these challenges lead to permanent lifestyle changes. We all have to start somewhere - just start.

I'll check out last year's results and see how many ran in the Filly division. I suspect more than the 29 that ran in the 2004 White Rock. Yeah, I know, I'm complaining about the weight standards but placement looks more impressive in a smaller division. I still qualify for Filly division regardless of the minimum for Austin.