Color Running for the First Time
My club, Solair Recreation League, recently had their tenth annual Color Run 5K event and
for the first time in ten years, I ran. Okay, I admit it, I mostly walked and jogged but the point
is that I was in the race instead of helping at the finish line.
I started coming to Solair eleven years ago when my now husband, asked me if it was
something I’d be willing to do after he had tried a nude beach for the first time while in
Florida. I was willing to check it out and made my first on my own to see if I was going to be
comfortable. I was overweight and wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to feel self-conscious.
After having my tour, and looking around, I was happy to find that I did not feel out of place.
What I found was a body positive community where I felt more comfortable in my birthday
suit than I usually did fully clothed.
Over the years since then, my size changed here and there and unfortunately, I gained
weigh more often lost but I never worried about it when I came to baring it all and having a
great time with my like-minded friends. Though I had some pain in my joints and often
couldn’t dance as long as I might have wanted, I never felt judged or looked at in any way. I
got involved and felt like it was a place I could contribute and be recognized, not for how I
looked by how I behaved.
Last year, in January, I was diagnosed with diabetes. It’s something I had a family history of
and always knew was a risk. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise had finally caught up to
me. I was given a prescription for Metformin for the high sugar and a bonus pill for high
blood pressure. For me, a person who was heavy most my life but generally healthy, this
was a rock bottom moment. I did not want to take these pills for the rest of my life.
A year and a quarter later, I changed everything and reversed my diabetes and the high
blood pressure. I accomplished this through food choices and exercise. I spend an hour a
day doing some form of exercise, plan my food and track what I eat carefully. I have lost
more weight than I care to admit and the actual numbers don’t matter but it’s a significant
loss. It shows and it would be hard not to notice when I walk into the room, especially to
the snowbirds who haven’t seen me since the fall.
So, how does a community of body positive people whose whole vibe is to not judge people
by their size and shape react to such a change? It’s remarkable really; overwhelmingly
supportive and sensitive. At first, people didn’t even seem to want to comment. This was
almost disappointing. Hey, I worked really hard here and I want people to notice. But when
people did start to comment, for the most part it wasn’t about how good I looked but about
how much better I must feel. It was more focused on my health and well-being than on my
shape. And people will actually ask for my permission to discuss the change or ask my
husband if I would mind the attention before approaching. It’s much different than in the
textile world.
Back in September, at a midpoint in my journey when I started to focus on tracking my
progress, I was asked by a friend who was helping me set up a fitness program to set a goal
that wasn’t focused on weight or size but on health. I had the general goal of getting off my
medications but I need a goal that was SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant
and Time-Bound). I made that goal to the Solair Color Run 5K in June. I didn’t expect to win
any medals, just to finish and hopefully not be the last person to cross the line. I did a lot
of walking over the next few months and even did a 5K outside of camp on Thanksgiving
Day to get an idea of how I was doing so far.
Fast forward to the Color Run at Solair. This year, the event day was rainy, but we still had
a pretty good turnout of runners. It’s a fun run for many of the participants, and not
everyone will do the entire race, but they come out to support the club and stick around to
cheer on the other runners. And there I was ready to go, in my sneakers and
undergarments. Not sure why, but completely naked running was not for me – maybe
logistics, maybe some self-consciousness about my jiggly body. Either way, it was still far
less clothing than I would ever dare in the textile world and there would be plenty of skin for
catch color.
The Solair Color Run is run throughout our grounds and consists of five laps of the same
course with members throwing color at five or six stations and a few spectators here and
there along the way. Each time I came to one of these color zones, I would hear my name
and “keep it up” and “you’re doing great.” I couldn’t have asked for a bigger or better fan
club. One lap down, two laps down… three to go felt like a long way… but then here was the
next small clutch of people rooting me on and I’d pick up my pace again. I ended up
finishing second for the women, of which there was only a handful, but just finishing was
the goal.
I’ve had so many people congratulate me on that accomplishment and on getting healthy.
I’ve had people tell me I’ve inspired them. I’ve had conversations about how hard it’s been
and how much work it takes. I’ve had people tell me how proud they are of me in person
and through text. I feel seen and loved by my community, my chosen family.
It will be a lifelong journey to maintain what I’ve accomplished. There was a short-term
goal of doing this race. There is no end goal where I can feel like I’ve crossed the finish line
and can just relax but that’s a good thing. I don’t want to let down the people that have
cheered me on. But more importantly, I don’t want to let myself down. So, to all my fellow
Solairians, thank you for accepting me as I was and for celebrating who I am! I know no
matter what the future brings that I will always have a place where I belong!
Denelle Cooke
