Excuse me, but I am about to drop some knowledge.

I've been thinking. There sure is a whole lot of criticism of runners. I have mentioned before that I have struggled with the conversation with non-runners about how stupid running is, and how anyone can run a marathon. I was talking with a co-worker this week about the running tights controversy. Then today when I was running, I passed three teens who were walking down the street. I was minding my own business, this girl in the group started laughing at me. She made some snide remark that I couldn't clearly hear, but the tone of voice made it clear that she did not approve of something about my running. Maybe it was my running tights! Maybe it was the water bottle I was holding. Maybe it was my form. I don't know, but there are some things that I do know.

According the to CDC, 69.2% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Adolescents are broken down into categories, with 18.4% of children 12-19 years, 18% of children 6-11 years, and 12.1% of children 2-5 years old falling into the obese category. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a problem to me. I also happened to look up some numbers on running. Only 1% of the US population has completed a half marathon, which is the most popular race distance in the US at this time, and 0.5% of the US population has completed a marathon. That's right, the half marathon is the most popular distance, so even when you look at 5k and 10k numbers, still less than 1% of the population has completed a race of that distance. I know which statistic I want to be a part of.

Running tights. Here's the thing. Sweat and friction cause chaffing and irritation. You may not like my running tights, but here's the thing, I am out there doing something about the way my legs jiggle when I run, so anyone who has a problem with that can take a look at the statistics above and keep their comments and critiques to themselves. Running tights are made of a dry-fast or moisture wicking material. They also don't ride up like running shorts do, so therefore, they are the most comfortable option if a person with my body type is going to be running any kind of distance. I used to be pretty self-conscious about wearing running tights, but once I thought about it in the terms I just explained, I realized that I should go with function over fashion to make sure I would achieve my goals. So you know what? Sorry that I'm not sorry.