Smashing the Limits #ToughIs @Brawny

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Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign that I am participating in with Brawny. All opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the brand.

I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was going into the seventh grade and had to get a physical, so we visited our pediatrician.  I wanted to join the track team, so while we were in the doctor’s office, I asked him what he thought.  He was an older gentleman, and very kind.  He sadly shook his head and said, “Oh, no, you cannot run on track team.  You no sweat.”

As we drove home, Mom looked over at me and said, “I know you’re disappointed…”  I stopped her and said, “I’m joining the track team.”  She glanced at the road, then glanced at me.  “You heard the doctor.”  I shrugged my shoulders and responded, “You’ve always said I had to set my own limits, and not let anyone else set them for me.”  Mom nodded her head and said okay.  I will never forget the look on her face in that moment.  On the one hand, I know she was proud of me, because I finally reached a point in my life where I knew what it meant to set my own limits and not let others dictate to me what I could or could not due based on my differences.  On the other hand, I know she was scared witless.

As you know, I am affected by Hay Wells Syndrome, one of the ectodermal dysplasia.  One of the characteristics of Hay Wells Syndrome is hypohidrosis, or diminished sweating.  At the I didn’t sweat at all.  Of course, sweating is the body’s cooling system.  Just as a car can overheat and breakdown if the cooling system is dysfunctional, the inability to sweat normally can cause overheating, which can lead to heat stroke—which could be potentially fatal.

I joined the track team that year.  In fact, in addition to running hurdles, throwing discuss, and launching the shotput, I trained to run the mile as an alternate, meaning I didn’t have to run it at every track meet.  One track meet rolled around and the girl who normally ran the mile for our team had an injury.  The coach looked at me and said, “You’re in.”  I sprinted to the sideline and told my Mom, who looked like she was probably choking back tears.  I didn’t win the mile race.  In fact, I didn’t place.  If memory serves me correctly, I may have even been the last person to cross the line.  I did get overheated.  My teammates poured water on me to help me cool down.

It couldn’t have been easy for my Mom to stand on the sidelines that night, with her own words reverberating in her head and the knowledge of what COULD happen if I overheated chasing them.  Knowing that she was the one that taught me to set my own limits, and not allow others to set them for me.  That track season I realized that I am not defined by what others think of me, and I am refuse to allow others to determine what I am capable of. I learned that being tough is setting your own limits, and then smashing the limits you set.

I started sweating minimally when I was 21.  I had a sweat test a few years ago, and according to it, I sweat less than 15% of “typical.”  I never have been your average gal.   As you know, I’ve recently been training for a 10K (which is tomorrow) and a 15K (which is in December).  Race training, or running for that matter, when you don’t sweat properly can be challenging, to say the least.  But, it’s not impossible.  I’ve learned to compensate for my inability to sweat properly.  I make sure I have plenty of water with me.  I keep a wet cloth or mister bottle with me on hot days or long runs, and use it to mimic the evaporative cooling process of sweat.  I’ve run the 10K trail twice now.  Today I set a personal record and ran 5K in 37:18

There are plenty of times when I’m running– far more than I care to admit– that my mind starts telling me I can’t run another step.  I’m too hot, too tired, too sore, too whatever.  Then I remind myself that I set my own limit, and then smash it.

Brawny® Paper Towels and Wipes have always stood for good old-fashioned toughness. And that’s why Brawny® wants to share the inspiring stories to those everyday heroes out there – the folks who truly define what tough is.  Want to know what it means to be tough to the core? Check out the inspiration video series featuring Everyday Heroes from Brawny®.

Connect with  @Brawny on Twitter and Brawny® on Facebook and BrawnyBrand on Instagram  and tell us how you’re Tough to the Core.

Toughness means something different to each and every one of us.  How do you find your inner toughness?

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign that I am participating in with Brawny. All opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the brand.

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