I recently read a great article detailing the author’s encounter with her physical therapist who remarked that she did not have a runner’s body. After the embarrassment passed, she politely informed the physical therapist that she had run over 30 marathons, so she did in fact have a runner’s body.
This article resonated with me, and I assume, with many other runners as well. One only needs to attend the start line of an organized race of any distance to see that runners come in all shapes, sizes, ages and demographics.
When I first began running competitively, I’d look around the start line trying to size up my competition. I’d find myself predicting who the quickest runners would be based on body size and type. Sometimes I’d even catch myself making an assessment of someone based on their running gear and accessories.
I was wrong nearly 100 percent of the time; my predicted winners rarely crossed the finish line first, all of us being passed by quick striders I would have never guessed based on physical appearance.
This early life lesson proved the key fact that a runner’s body is rarely what you see on TV. Barring injury and other physical conditions that make running impossible, running is a sport for anyone that wants to make the effort, regardless of how you look.
So here is what I’ve decided about a runner’s body.
A runner’s body must be accompanied by a runner’s mind. Anyone that has run a distance further than their legs would have allowed knows that at some point in a long race, your mind must take farmafelicidad.com. For some runners, the first few miles are the toughest and they rely solely on their mental strength to get their engines going. Other runners, like myself, find the last few miles daunting and must rely on our mind to get us across the finish line. Whichever type of runner you are, most runners find the mind over matter approach to be imperative at some point of a race.
A runner’s body is fearless. Yes, we may get nervous the night before a big race, but we will not miss that start line. I don’t know a runner who hasn’t battled pre-race jitters only to face their fears and find victory at the finish line.
A runner’s body is strong. After a week’s worth of strength training, speed workouts and tempo runs, we take on a high mileage day only to turn around and do it again. All of this is in addition to “normal life” of work, family and personal obligations. A runner’s strength and endurance is a feat of nature.
So, the next time you are feeling perplexed about why your runner’s body does not look a stereotypical way, remember this … Maybe you don’t have what society calls a “runner’s body”, but you sure have a body that runs.
Article link – http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/08/t-rex-runner/do-you-have-a-runners-body-a-test_63123#2Y2tuWhMRaAeCmrL.97
