You know that you have a somewhat, stand-out-ish trait, when in the space of just over a week, you get 5 comments about it, two of which are from total strangers. And as you can probably guess from the title of this post, that I am referring to my calves.
I have huge calves! In high school, kids would tell me I had Popeye calves. It never hurt my feelings or anything, it just made me more aware. It was actually kind of a nuisance. I was constantly spiking myself in races because they were always in the way. I would get cramps in them, and would always need them to be rubbed out. And skinny jeans! Forget about it! They tapered way too much at the bottom. I remember watching a “True Life” episode on MTV, where some guy wanted to have calf implants. I thought he was nuts!
Funny thing, though, when I met Adam, one of the first things that I noticed was that he didn’t have very big calves. It was something I liked…the grass is always greener, I guess ;). He does have huge biceps, which more than makes up for his lack of calvage.
Aren’t they beeaautiful? He didn’t want his face in it…weirdo.
I went for a long time, though, without anyone saying anything about mu calves, but this week changed everything. For some reason or another, I have had a lot of comments about them, and some have actually been kind of funny. I thought I’d share, just for the fun of it…
While at the park with my kids, I heard a man yelling, “hey, I know you!” I turned around and it was a dad I knew from one of my kid’s soccer teams. He said, “I knew I recognized you…” (Me, thinking it must be the blonde hair, or the fact that I had 5 little kids hanging on me)…”those calves! I could spot those from a mile away!”
How do you react to a statement like that? ESPECIALLY when it is a man…um, a little awkward. Was this meant to be a compliment…a put down…was he hitting on me? I really didn’t know. I just smiled, and made a joke of my “Popeye” calves.
The next day, I was dropping something off for Adam, and a co-worker of his said, “holy calves!” Then she started talking about them….At this point, I’m contemplating never wearing shorts again.
Then, we went on a family vacation to Pagosa Springs, CO, where we hiked to see some waterfalls. We had a family picture taken, which I posted on facebook. I had to stand on my toes a little, which made it so that I had to flex one of my calves. There was a comment where a friend of mine asked if she could have some of my calve muscle when I was done using it. I just laughed and laughed! 🙂 I am beginning to think that I have a major abnormality!
Then, I went for a run with a friend, where she mentioned something about them, in a very complimentary way, but still, an unsolicited comment about my calves, yet again.
Finally…and this is the best one: That same day, I went to the store. I was in the produce department, minding my own business, when a lady asked, “what do you do to keep in shape?” I have gotten that same type of question before, but it is usually when I have my kids with me, and they are referring to baby weight, etc. Since I didn’t have my kids with me this time, I was really wondering where she was going with this…But when I heard her say, “those calves! I’ve been noticing them the whole time you’ve been here!” I just had to laugh. The way she was talking about them was cause enough for her husband and other bystanders, to come around behind me to take a look at them. They even asked me to flex! How weird is that? What would you do?!
I am not a showy person, and really don’t like to be the center of attention, so this was really uncomfortable form me. I kind of felt like freak of nature. It was really strange. I was polite, and let them have a look, and then weirdly, continued my shopping, all the while, feeling that everyone was staring at my freakishly large calves.
Since I can’t have my readers’ imaginations go to some terrible distortion of what actually is, here is a picture. You judge for yourselves…;)
**Wearing my Unshoes again. Best footwear EVER!
These are my favorite shorts, but it is quite a task to pull them up and over these monsters of mine.
Time to 'fit' it in 
Your calves are pretty big…but so are my ears! Take it as a compliment regardless of if it is meant to be or not…the fact is that those calves help propel you to mile times I am envious of!
PS – I love that one of your boys is wearing a Run DMC shirt in the vacation picture, he will show that pic to people in 15 years as proof that he has always been cool.
Thanks! I actually don’t mind them. It is so funny the comments I get, though.
And, yes I dig his shirt, too. He has cool parents who will buy him a shirt like that…haha!
I hear you with the big calves/skinny jeans problem. I have some super cute maternity skinny jeans (oxymoron?) from a friend that I can just barely get over my calves. I feel the same way — I don’t mind big calves, but one reason I was attracted to my husband was his slender calves. I thought I’d give our kids half a chance at normal sized calves. 🙂 Oh, and if it helps me run faster, I’m all for it.
Haha! I thought the same thing when I married my husband. We have some kids with slender calves, and some with monstrous ones…at least they will have support either way ;). And, my husband is SUPER fast even with his slender calves. Makes me wonder..?
HAHA! “Those calves!” I also have large, muscular calves and people comment on them in random places. I feel like runners always have tiny calves and I come around with these monstrous ones. At least we have big, muscular ones instead of big flabby ones. 🙂
True dat!
Oddly, this post brings me some peace of mind, or at least reminds me to just not care. People comment on my calves ALL THE TIME, too, and it makes me way self conscious. I don’t have cute runner calves like you, though, I have giant potato ballet calves clinging to my otherwise twerpy legs. But thanks to you I’ll just laugh 🙂
Haha! It would be so interesting to line up the people in our family gene pool to see to what degree of calvage we all have. It seems many of us have calf issues 😉
I didn’t notice your calfs… I was just checking out the cool sandals! 😉
Yup, still wearing them. I wish there was a way to “tag” you in them on here…I guess I could do a link…maybe I will 🙂
My advice to you. Take the compliments as they come. I’m sure they all mean well. I personally don’t think your calves are abnormal. They’re probably a result of genes and the fact that you’re such a fitness fanatic. And please don’t stop wearing shorts, legs like that need to shown off, “it’s the law” lol. I have skinny calves and seeing yours just makes me green with envy. I’m a runner and I would give anything to have calves like that. I can also see in the family photo that your little girl holding the stick is beginning to develop some serious muscles in her calves as well. So it seems like your genes are already being passed on.
Haha. Thanks! I’ve noticed the buddings of some major clavage. Since this post, I have actually thought of them in more of a positive light. Thanks for your compliment 🙂
Your calves are simply very nice and sculptured, not at all big or monsters. You should write to my husband, who knows all huge female calves sites. The biggest calves belong to Larisa Hakobyan or try youtube at “huge girls calves”. You’ll see yours are nice and just normal.
Thank you! I will have to check that out. Maybe I won’t feel so “Popey-ish” :).