u/Randomcluelessperson

They get too sticky for me on hot days or sweaty runs. I pack a baggie of Swedish Fish. They stay dry and solid.

I love CarbsFuel! Smoother than Gu and no strong flavor. I was excited when I found out it was the fuel provided for my marathon. But during the race “theirs” tasted off and made me a little queasy so I tried to make mine last by spacing them out more…and crashed in the last third of the race.

A different perspective:

As a lesbian, she would be choosing you from whatever pool of queer women available in your area. As a bisexual woman, she’s choosing you out of literally every person she meets.

I was doing a night run and a couple was making out on a pedestrian bridge. My only thought was that I wished they were wearing something reflective so they didn’t scare me.

I was practicing a section of my marathon route when a severe thunderstorm popped up. Due to scheduling issues and a poor mental health day I just kept going. It was absolutely pouring and the water was ankle deep in places, but I was having the time of my life. I felt so refreshed and alive! I was passing through a university area when a security patrol pulled up alongside, probably to ask if I needed help. He looked at me through his window and saw my huge smile. He just shook his head and drove off.

That is still my favorite run of the whole year, including last weekend’s marathon.

He definitely did. He didn’t talk about it much, but he had the beret and I saw photos from the war. When I was a bit older there was a navy SEAL who was a parent/scout leader who always joked about him being “only” a green beret. He wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue, but he didn’t lie about that.

Thank you! I’m one of three children and as I stated I had no contact for years. My oldest sibling remained close with him. Does next of kin apply to all children, regardless of the closeness of the relationship?

I’m absolutely in therapy, and have been for a while (valid advice though). What therapy can’t give me though is closure and answers. I’d like to know the circumstances so I can process it and move on.

I can relate. Most of my family wanted nothing to do with me even before I came out as trans. Now they’re completely out of my life, I’m divorced, and only my daughter speaks to me. BUT! I promise you that the family you find will mean so much more to you than you would believe right now. I’m still constantly amazed by how much love and support I receive from people I don’t share DNA or upbringing with.

As for the self harm: I never really engaged in it despite suicidal ideation throughout my younger years and occasionally during adulthood. I managed it by running. I’d basically run as far as I could as fast as I could, replacing one kind of pain with another. There are lots of other options too: cycling, weightlifting, swimming, and team sports for example. I like to think of it as healthy self harm. But it also has the benefit of improving your physical health, which correlates to better mental health as well.

I love your perspective on this!

I ran my first on Sunday. Runna estimated a 4:05ish finish, but I set my sights on a more modest 4:30 because I knew I was capable of that and I wanted to live in the moment and enjoy it.

But despite strictly following my deload, carb loading, getting decent sleep, and seemingly doing everything right, my body just couldn’t perform the way it usually did. I started feeling it around mile 10, and dropped off my pace in mile 17. I finished at 4:45.

And I don’t even care. I still enjoyed the experience. I had many friends reach out before the race and a number show up to cheer me on. None of them cared how fast I ran. In a way I’m glad I underperformed because I might have lost track of all that love and support of if I had run better. And at the end of it all, I still ran a freaking marathon!

I’m all about goal setting, but if I lose track of why I run in the first place, what’s the point?

But you could take the time to learn the language! My question is, would our minds get bored by the monotony of that learning, or would it be easier without biological needs interfering?

The IMT Des Moines was my first marathon yesterday too. Congrats!

It’s Brandon and Karen for me, but I get them for tons of telemarketers too. One was calling about homeowners insurance though and gave me Brandon’s address. Now I just have to figure out payback for him using my number as his fake.

That’s tough to answer, because I run for totally different reasons now. In general it’s harder, but I’m a much better runner than before. I’m able to focus on training and improving and I don’t use running as an emotional purge so much (although there are some days….) I’m a bit faster than before, and my endurance has greatly increased. It makes me wonder sometimes what my ability level would be if I had been able to maintain this focus pre-transition.

My balance was way off for a while. My breasts aren’t huge, but they did change my center of gravity especially when I lost wait. My hips seem to move differently too, and that took some adjustment. I started HRT at 50, so I’m not talking about major structural changes - they just move differently.

The best part though is the feel of my ponytail tapping my neck and shoulders as I run. So affirming!

If you would like to more about my running journey I can dm you a link to an article I wrote for Outside Run last year :)

I did my first half last September and thought, “If I can do that….”

I can only hope someone ever loves me like that.

No problem! I didn’t have one to begin with, and my running is a little extreme for most people. I have my first marathon next weekend :)

Almost exclusively running. I do some strength and flexibility work inconsistently, but just to help with the running. I will point out that I have no butt to speak of, but I do get called skinny often. I believe this is in comparison to my pre-transition build. I’ve lost 50 pounds, but I’m still at 180 and 5’11” which would be a pretty solid build for a cis woman. So I think comments like that are usually in the context of being trans rather than a woman in general.

I’ve been running throughout my transition (4.5 years with about 3 at full HRT dosage).

IMO running doesn’t really affect fat distribution much, but weight loss and fitness have done a ton for my physical and mental health. And generally speaking I think I a thinner body “shows” the changes more visibly. For example, my breast growth can’t really be passed off as man-boobs. Also, as I’ve burned the fat off I’m left with a more androgynous (for now) body as I wait for the distribution to become more feminine.

I’m trans. I’ll be rich.

That is by far the most important factor for me. It’s a curse if I can’t control it.

Wait, I can get paid to forget? I have CPTSD and that would be amazing, as long as I remember the break I had when my memory returns.

The thing is though, every meaningful scientific study has shown that after 1-2 years of hrt including testosterone suppression, there is no meaningful advantage to athletes assigned male at birth.

Yes there is a perception of unfairness, but perceptions aren’t fact.

As an actual trans person I’ll point out that the Dems (eg Sand, Turk, Garriot) have conceded the point and said “men don’t belong in girls’ sports”.