Move over Sumo Sista...

Joy here...I think it's about time I said a thing or two about sizes.  Body sizes that is.  You see, many people (like my friends Training Payne and TriTwins) have sporting blogs as PFGs (previously fat guys) that chart their weight loss journeys:

Blogs like these are incredibly compelling.  They tell stories of people's determination, their struggles, and ultimately their unbelievable triumphs.

There are other kinds of sporting blogs - ones like that belonging to Coach Woods and his co-coach, marathoner Dylan Wykes - that chart the progress of elite-level athletes.  These kinds of blogs are those that demonstrate what high-achieving sport can look like.

Both these categories of online sporting exposés - the journey from fat to fit variety and the story of athletic prowess - can make for inspiring, exciting, and exhilarating reading.

Now my little blog is something of an anomaly here.

Luckily for me, I've never really really had to battle with weight.  Yeah, sure, I've burst out of my pants before (but who hasn't???), and my weight has fluctuated with the seasons (but whose hasn't???), but I've never really known what it's like to cart the weight of an extra human being around on my body wherever I go.  And for that I know I have dumb luck and some good genes to thank.

But even with that dumb luck and good genes, I've never been an elite athlete.  Sure I played some high school sports, but I was never a jock, never the captain of any team, and more likely to choose chilling out and relaxing over doing a hard workout any day.

That kid looks like a dork to me, not a jock!!!!
(I would guess this pic is from around 1989 or so.)

So when I hit my thirties and started running and cycling, and then decided that I'd try my hand at some running races and cycling races as the clock tipped me over the 35 age mark and I started blogging (first with my erstwhile co-blogger, Nomi, and then on my own), I didn't have the PFG (previously fat gal) fixation with weight loss, nor did I have the elite-level athlete's attention to weight detail.  I was just a girl who ran and rode her bike, who sometimes weighed more (and didn't like that) and sometimes felt fitter (and did like that).  But, to be honest, I didn't give much thought to the kilogram swings up and down, except in a vague "I hate myself" kind of way in the depths of winter when all I wanted was to curl up on the couch with a bag of chips and a chocolate bar.

But now that I'm in Malaysia, this lackadaisical attitude to my size is changing a bit.

You see, back in Canada, I'm considered pretty average.  I'm just under 5'7 and probably somewhere around 130Ibs.  My clothing size waffles between an S and an M, depending on the make, and I can usually fit into anything sized 4 or 6.  That's generally pretty middle of the road where I come from.  Not too big, not to small, just right...in Goldilocks terminology.

In Malaysia, however, I seem to be a giant of ridiculous proportions.

How Malaysians must see me.

Before I left for Malaysia, I went to the Nike store and bought a couple of pairs of running shorts.  I bought size M, and they fit a little loose, but that was a-okay by me.  I tried wearing them for the first time once I got to Malaysia and started doing my run workouts (including yesterday's easy 35 min run post-haze).  I really liked these shorts, so I headed to the mall to pick up a few other pairs.  I went straight to the Nike store, pulled a couple of size Ms off the shelf, and even grabbed an S just to see if they'd be better.  I grabbed a tank top as well (size M) and headed to the change room.  I almost didn't bother trying.

Good thing I did.

I couldn't even fit the shorts.  I couldn't pull them up over my butt.  As I stood there in my underwear with the shorts mid-thigh, I tried to pull the tank top over my head and ended up pulling a muscle by trying to pretzel myself into a too-small shirt.

Deflated, I peeled off the ridiculously too-small clothing and headed back out to get some bigger sizes.  In the end, I bought two size L shorts and one XL top.  The size L shorts are still a little snug, but I'm hopeful that with all my sweaty workouts, they'll soon be just fine.  My size M shorts (same make, same style, bought only 7 days earlier in Canada) fit larger than the Large ones.

The randomness of all this sizing makes me laugh.

But it also shows just how arbitrary and silly fixating on certain sizes may be.  I think it far better to just focus on feeling fit and healthy and not worry about what size I may be (or may not be).

That said, if I'm an XL...what the heck size do truly big guys and gals here wear????  Or am I really a sumo sista in denial???

Over and out,
Joy