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(gentle bright music)
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- People think fat people never get off the couch
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and people think that fat people sit around eating all day.
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My mission is to challenge people's assumptions
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about fat people.
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(gentle piano music)
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I'm Mirna Valerio, and I'm a runner.
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I've been running long distance for about eight years.
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I've done nine marathons and 10 ultra-marathons
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with my longest being 100K.
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Traditionally, trail races and other outdoor events
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have not always been welcoming to people like me.
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I'm black, I'm a woman, and I'm fat.
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When I go to a race, I know I'm breaking the mold.
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It's still very white and very male.
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So I know going in that I'm going to be different.
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(soft piano music)
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10 years ago I lived a very stressful life,
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and so that took a huge toll on my health.
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I consulted with a doctor who told me
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that I needed to change my lifestyle pretty drastically
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if I wanted to see my son grow up, so I did.
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I'd had some experiences with people
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always making the assumption that whatever I was doing
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it was for weight loss.
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After a couple of years,
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it was not a weight loss thing anymore;
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it's about fitness.
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Running makes me feel like
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my most human self.
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My first mile was pretty awful.
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It was painful, it was slow.
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When I'm feeling like this is really too difficult,
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I know that in the end I'm doing it for a reason.
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There's always a larger reason.
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The end goal not always only being to finish,
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but the more important thing is that I'm out there
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because sometimes I come in last.
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It's amazing to me how many messages I get
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on a daily basis saying,
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"Thank you for being you,
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"thank you for living in your own space
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"and taking up space, and not being afraid to do that
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"because that has allowed me to do that."
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I'm gonna continue doing it because I think
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people still need to see me.
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(dramatic music)
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(chime dings)