Lose the Weight, Find You
READING AGE 12+
At a crowded engagement party, my boyfriend laughed when I couldn't squeeze into the borrowed kayak—and told everyone I'd be easier to love if I lost a few pounds. I left him before the cake was cut. The next morning, I signed up for a beginner's running group, not because I thought a smaller body would make me worthy, but because I was tired of letting other people decide what I could do. Miles, the steady, infuriatingly perceptive man leading the group, never promised me a transformation. He only asked what I wanted my life to feel like. As I stumbled through sore muscles, old habits, and a setback I couldn't hide, I started to want more than the finish line. But when my progress became tangled up with his approval, I had to face one question: could I choose myself and still let him choose me?
Unfold
The day after the race, my knee hurt enough that I limped down the hall.
I was proud of finishing. I was not proud of ignoring the early ache during the last mile. Dana checked the joint and told me I hadn't caused serious damage, but I needed a week without running.
A week. Not forever. Still, I had to work hard not to hear it as……
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