I have always hated race photos. In my 11 years of running, I can count on one hand the number of race photos of me that I actually liked – the majority of them made me look like a nauseous, screaming baby 👶🏼 (true story) and the rest look something like the picture above on the left.
But here's the thing, these two pics were taken (literally) three seconds apart, both show a very fit and capable woman charging the finish line of a trail race in the strongest possible way. Under normal circumstances, I'd never post the pic on the left or otherwise let it see the light of day but today … well, today is different.
Because both of these pics are me. When I run, my muscles and skin move to power and accommodate each movement. This is both necessary and normal.
I don't want to be that person who lets this one silly picture make her feel bad about herself when all other evidence is to the contrary. It's so easy to get sucked into the negative thoughts and forget about what I was accomplishing in the picture to begin with.
I am a strong, badass runner and this is what my body looks like when it's doing its thing. And I hope it never stops. So I'm sharing both pics because I have an amazing and unique runner's body and I'm so incredibly proud of it.