Hi! I’m Renée.

Back in the early days of social media, I went by lowfatpie — a name born from yet another attempt to lose weight. For a long time, my life revolved around diet mentality, then fitness mentality, then a messy mix of both. In 2009, I started running. Not because I loved it, but because it felt like something I could do on my own. It was my second attempt (the first was somewhere around 2002–2003), and like many people, I thought running would finally “fix” my body. It didn’t — at least not in the way I expected.

Now it’s 2026, and I have what feels like a lifetime of running behind me. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things:

• Running isn’t the key to weight loss. Movement and food belong together.
• You may never be “fast,” and that’s fine — speed is relative.
• Training and racing teach you things you carry into the rest of your life.
• You don’t have to be thin to run.
• Comparison is the thief of joy, even when it’s hard not to compare.

As I write this, I’m 57. The last several years have been a struggle — with running, with my body, with sleep, with chronic pain, with menopause (which was its own special hell). I’ve only been able to lose weight recently with the help of medication, and who knows what will happen when that chapter ends.

But here’s the truth: I’m still here. I’m still moving. I’m still choosing myself.

After the Chicago Marathon in 2022, I thought I might be done with running for good. But I’m not ready to close that door. Last year, I had both feet operated on (MTP fusion), so right now I’m not running — but I am walking every day, keeping a walk streak alive, and reconnecting with movement in a way that feels grounded and present.

Beyond that, I’m the Event Director of our local parkrun, part of an empowering Ladies Group, married to the best person I could have dreamed up, caretaker of five cats, and happily living in the beautiful green city of Arnhem in the Netherlands — even though I’m originally from the U.S.

This stage of my life isn’t about chasing old versions of myself. It’s about moving from where I am now, with the body I have now, in the life I’m living now.

Ask me anything — I’m an open book. I’m one of those OG social‑internet people who genuinely loves connecting with others. I’m not here to be popular; I’m here to share, to listen, and to meet others who feel compelled to do the same.