A key factor in my Button Journey success has been exercise. I’ve done some cycling, but mostly I have been walking. My goal is to walk every day. Most days, I succeed. Sadly, my left knee and thigh are not cooperating with my new routine. In fact, they are rebelling. They mock me and scream at me to give up. “The pain is too great,” they tell me. “I’m going to buckle, and then you will have to replace me,” my knee threatens. “You are putting too much stress on me,” my thigh wails. But I press on, and determine to keep my 300 pound frame moving. This is my last chance, I tell myself. If I don’t do it this time, I never will. I’m not getting any younger.You see, I really want to succeed. I want to be at peace with my body.Once and for all, I want to be comfortable in the made-from-dust-temple that God has given me. But how do I do this? How do I get into shape and protect my knees and thighs at the same time? Does anyone have the answer? Yes. Dick Pond does. Well, at least Dick Pond had the answer for me. Who is Dick Pond? He was a person, a runner. But I am referring to the runner’s store that bears his name: Dick Pond Athletics. His store and a girl named Emily helped me much more than just picking out a pair of shoes. Keep reading to find out about Dick Pond and me, and the wonderful gift of acceptance they gave me.

What Dick Pond Did for Me

I am guessing that most athletic stores don’t service many obese patrons. I mean, let’s face it, exercise and obesity mix about as well as oil and water. So last week, when I walked into the Dick Pond Athletic’s store in St. Charles, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would they laugh at me? Or help me, but roll their eyes while doing it? Would they look me up and down and make me feel like an idiot for daring to enter the world of the super athlete? These thoughts flitted through my mind as I perused the many shoes, socks, and other running paraphernalia that make up Dick Pond Athletics. Thankfully, I was met with none of those things. Instead, I was greeted by a delightful young sales girl named Emily, who didn’t know that she was about to change my life.

Emily

Emily asked me several questions about where my pains were, and how far and fast I walked. She listened intently to my answers, and spent time educating me on how my legs and feet work, explaining to me why having a supportive, solid shoe is important. Then she had me alternately balance on one leg, and walk sock-footed on the treadmill that was in the middle of the store, a Dick Pond signature item.

As I slowly walked the treadmill, and viewed the back of my legs, heel, and ankles, in their specialized rear-view-mirror, Emily watched closely, fully focused on me and the task at hand. She told me my gait was good, my ankle alignment was straight, and my arches, although low, were not fallen. She explained to me that because of the kind of pain I was having, and the excess weight I was carrying, that I needed a shoe with a lot of cushion, and good arch support.

“Your shoes should be so comfortable that you shouldn’t have to think about them,” Emily said.

She invited me to step off the treadmill and come over to the fitting area. After measuring my feet, and letting me know that my right foot was a full size bigger then my left,(evidently a common phenomenon) Emily asked me specifically where the pain in my left leg and knee was. Evidently, the location, and type of the pain, can reveal something about my stride, and the kind of shoe I needed. Then, she disappeared into the stock room to make her very scientific shoe selections.

While she was gone, I took in the sights and sounds of Dick Pond Athletics. The walls were filled with shoes, laces, socks, water bottles, exercise tools for your feet, and tons of other things that I won’t pretend to even understand. There were people everywhere. Old people. Young people. Seriously looking marathon people, and just about every kind of person in between. Emily’s co-workers were being just as attentive to the people they were helping as she was to me. Even the store manager, Glen, was fully engaged. Needless to say, I was impressed. And, for a wannabe athlete, that’s really saying something.

I was so impressed that I tried to take an incognito video of a young man helping an elderly woman, but chickened out after only 8 seconds, but here is the clip anyway:

Inside Dick Pond

Emily returns with 3 pairs of shoes, I try them on, and make a selection. I ended up going with a pair that has like a shifting metal plate in it or something to provide cushion, but sturdiness. If Emily is reading this, she is probably a bit sad that I can’t remember all of the cool techno-savvy stuff she told me about the shoe. All I know is that I trusted Emily, and the shoes felt good. She then picks out some socks for me, and some pretty cool laces that I don’t have to keep tying and re-tying.

Walk 2 Run

And here is where Emily changed my life. She confidently and cheerfully invited me to join their free Walk 2 Run 10 week course to build up to a 5K.

Me?

300 pound me?

You saw me waddle in here. You saw me struggle to put my socks on. You watched me attempt to balance on one leg. And you think I could actually do a 5K? Wow. Even walk a 5K? Double wow.

Acceptance

What Emily gave me was the priceless gift of acceptance. She didn’t look at me as a 50-year-old grossly overweight wannabe. No, she treated me with the same dignity and respect that I believe she would have given a star athlete. In doing so, whether she realized it or not, she elevated me, and gave me hope.

Hope that maybe I could get into shape.

Hope that I might just be able to really lose this weight and become active.

And hope that my size does not define me.

So thank you Emily and thank you Dick Pond Athletics. For accepting me. For embracing me just as I am. And for believing that I can do this thing. I am going to be there tonight at 6:30pm with my new shoes on, and do my best to participate in Walk 2 Run. May you be blessed for your kindness. I for one, will never forget you.

Join Debbie

Debbie will be at Dick Pond’s St. Charles Walk 2 Run each Monday night at 6:30pm for the next 10 weeks, with the exception of Labor Day, and the 2nd Monday of August. She would love it if you’d join her. If you do decide to walk with Debbie, please be sure to register athttps://www.dickpondathletics.com/st-charles/walk-2-run-is-in-full-swing 

What About You?

What experiences have you had with exercise and trying to get healthy? Leave a comment and let’s talk about it.