Bigger ain't always better

I think it's a fairly safe bet that out of all the running contributors here at Poetic Feet, I weight the most. Granted I've never seen KWK, but I'm pretty sure I outweigh him by at least 25 pounds.
Is my excess weight slowing me down? Most likely.
This comes from a recent New York Times story which also points out that being tall isn't all that great shakes either for a distance runner.
Here are some excerpts:

Tall people naturally have longer strides, but stride length, it turns out, does not determine speed. Running requires that you lift your body off the ground with each step, propelling yourself forward. The more you weigh, the harder you have to work to lift your body and the slower you will be.

The best runners are small and light, with slim legs. “If you have large legs, you have to move a big load,” Dr. Secher said. “The smaller you are, the better you are.”

....

The tallest elite marathoner today, Robert Cheruiyot, is 6-foot-2. But he weighs only 143 pounds. Most elite male marathoners, Dr. Joyner notes, are between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-11 and weigh between 120 and 140 pounds. In distance running, he said, “you just don’t find many big people.”

Who knows? Maybe I'll take up rowing. I am fascinated by that sport. But the bottom line is I'm not trying to be an elite. I'm trying to be the best I can be... and have fun in the process.