Episode 160: Mayra Lopez on Trail Running, ED Recovery, and Finding Support

Mayra Lopez Garcia is 33 years old, Mexican-American and was born in raise in South Los Angeles. She lives in Palmdale, CA, where her current occupation is a housing stabilizer with the homeless population (families/individuals). Her running journey started in High School. She did not know anything about the sport of running until I joined the Cross-Country Team. Running was fun & enjoyed the transition of it all. When she started to see her body change, running became an obsession and eventually an eating disorder, anorexia. While Mayra is thankful that she was able to get out of her eating disorder, it still hunts her here and there today. She writes, "I catch myself comparing myself to others, but I have to remind myself & I want others to know that any person who runs has a “runner’s body” no matter the weight, build, age, ability or health status. It took me some time, but I am thankful for my body per it has endured tough workouts, ran many races (5k, 10k, half-marathons, marathons, 50k’s and currently training for my first 50 miler). I continue to run today with my F.A.C.T Team my current coach, Armand, is amazing, he is not only our coach but our therapist & he gives us such great advice when we are being tough on ourselves. Overall, I am thankful for RUNNING, per it’s brought me so many good people in my life, people that I now consider family and meeting my now fiancé (he proposed when he finished Angeles Crest 100 Miler in 2016). Thank you all for listening to my story." A few topics we discuss include: -How she got started with running, and more specifically, trail running -The role that community plays in her running journey -Aspects that have helped her when it comes to comparison and body image challenges -Advice Mayra would tell her younger self -What being a Strong Runner Chick means to Mayra Follow Mayra @Born2Run87 on Instagram.