One of the coolest things to pass through  my Facebook feed for a very long time.  I felt this, this article could have been written about, or to me.  I am that girl (not literally), but I am all those things that he says.  I have had random people say "good job", and "keep it up" when I am exercising and it's weird to me.  I am an introvert and just want to keep my head down, my earbuds in and focus on the finish line. Some day, I will be able to have the confidence and hold my head up high and not care about what others might think.  Here's to the ones that get out there and keep doing!!

Hey, Out of Shape Girl.
Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.

You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home. You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.

You are awesome.

If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.

You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.

You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.

You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.

I bow to you.

(via flintland.blogspot.com/)

You know...this echos a real experience I had this weekend.

I have been running and skating for over a year now.

I am still slow.

Coming back from a run, I saw a woman heavier and flabbier than myself BOOKING IT down the street. She had on leggings and a sports bra. She didn't seem at all concerned that the bit of fluff on tummy bounced a little. Indeed, from her tan, I would say she wears that outfit a lot or wears a bikini.

And all I could think was: RESPECT and ADMIRATION.  I WISH I was as fast as her!  It just goes to show size does not correlate to speed. I WISH I could be as brave as she is and just wear a lighter outfit when it is hot out versus covering everything all up all the time.  I WISH I had that kind of confidence.

I imagine we will meet at a race sometime soon and she will blow me away.

You both are an inspiration 

I love this too.  I have been heckled before when exercising. Sometimes it's hard to bru**** off.  Thanks for posting - very motivational!

Just wait until you get closer to your goal weight. You will still be heckled but in a different way!

I will admit that I do not like this bit of "inspiration" at all. (No offense to OP!) I sort of want to tell the observer to shut up and leave me alone.

When I exercise, I'm not asking for you to watch me or judge me, even if it's in a positive way. I do not care what others think, and I do not want anybody's feedback. Worrying about that was enough to keep me indoors for a LONG time.

You wouldn't pay extra attention to a THIN person having a hard time-- why the heck should I be any different? Sorry, but this attention is patronizing as fck and just reinforces the fact that I'm different from everybody else who's out pounding the pavement.

"The other runners [I] cross" are not staring in awe. They're minding their own business, like I'm doing now, like I wish you would. Leave me the hell alone.

(This is why I'm glad that you rarely see other cyclists for more than a second, just long enough to wave "hello" while going the opposite direction or riding past, LOL!)

I took it more as a "self reflection" comment than an external one. The way I read it was as my inner-self, building up my confidence to "get out there and do things", not as a passerby noticing me - just ME noticing me. :)