Candice Huffine: My Clothing Size Has Nothing to Do With My Capabilities

Welcome to  Talking Body, a new series where we have honest conversations with women about their bodies. Up this week: Candice Huffine, an American model who has appeared in campaigns and fashion shows for Sophie Theallet, Lane Bryant, Bloomingdale's, and Target. On Sunday, March 20, the size 12, 31-year-old, Brooklyn-based model ran the United Airlines New York City marathon, her first ever half-marathon. Ahead of the race, we caught up with Huffine to discuss her reasons for running and how social media has responded to her running journey.  

I made this decision [to run the half-marathon] at brunch one day with my husband back in December. We were talking about the goals we were going to set for the new year and this was thrown out there. He was like, "I bet you could totally do it," and I sort of brushed it off like, "I really can't, I think that's too lofty of a goal." It's been quite a journey. I wanted to do something totally unlike anything I've ever done before. I wanted to set a goal and commit to it and push myself and get out of my comfort zone. Doing something this big electively is a first for me. Sometimes you make these grand plans that you're going start a new hobby and life gets in the way. I wanted to commit to this and really put in the work. I keep saying it's the first part of the finish line. I've gotten to this point, we're here, it's happening and that's a huge accomplishment in itself.  My relationship with running before this was kind of nonexistent. It was kind of a love-hate relationship, with running more on the side of hate. I've kept the mentality of starting really small, not overwhelming myself to the point where I strike out and never want to try again and just sort of eased into it. I've seen myself getting better. That's encouraging and exciting and makes me want to put my shoes on and go out every day.

The way I feel on a mental and psychological level has been my favorite part that I can't stop talking about. That will be the reason I continue with this new running lifestyle. I feel really present and involved and ready for new things I've never tried before. Do I feel strong? Yeah, I do. Mentally I feel creative and like I'm in charge of this year. It's been really, really cool. I didn't expect that to happen. 

I'm a part of the New York Road Runners virtual training program, which I encourage everyone to sign up for; I don't know how I would have done it without that. It sends you what you should be doing for training, so I'd get emails the night before about how I should be training for the next day. The most I've done in this training process has been eight miles, which is also a concern for me considering I have to do 13. Honestly, in the past I could never finish a 5k, so for three miles to be my light run makes me so proud. It's physical proof of how much I've gotten better, which is exciting. I don't want to have a quitter's mentality because that's not an option. I'm doing this and I'm excited to see the finish line.The response on my social media has been so supportive. Everyone is so responsive and I'm excited to be able to share good news with them at the end and share my finishing moments with them because they've been on the ride all along. 

Any time there's an opportunity to dispel any myth of what anybody should and could and are capable of doing is a true win. I just think that shattering any of these boxes we've been put in or breaking free is always such an important thing. People don't understand yet that we're changing that, or they're a little confused that we can do all of these things and that our body remains this way because it's supposed to be this way. That our physical capabilities or the size of the clothes we wear has nothing to do with—you know, they're not direct connections to the things we want to do and can do. And if that's running, then my size 12 butt is going to be running. And it's going to stay a size 12, as it has during this process. We are sort of shutting down these assumptions that were created for whatever reason however long ago, and I think that's always a great thing. Someone said the other day that I was a runner and I was going to correct them and be like, "No, not really." You know, when you play it down. But I would say anyone who straps on shoes and goes for any sort of light jog could consider themselves a runner. I think people put a lot of pressure on that title and it scares them from even getting to the starting point. They say, "Oh, no no, running is not for me. I'm not a runner. But I like to jog occasionally." But, you are! You're out there and you're doing it and you're a runner. I'm a novice runner, but I'm a runner at the end of the day. Which is not a title I ever thought I'd have. Hopefully if there's a woman out there who wants to get out there and jog around the lake in her community but has been too worried, or feeling pressure about how that might look, I hope this inspires her to start. A lot of people have asked me that on Instagram. They say, "That sounds so cool, I want to do something like that. Where should I start?" My only answer is just start. Put on the shoes and go.


source by :http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a34994/candice-huffine-nyc-half-marathon/