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ATHLETE EXPOSED
You’ re in the zone. Your heart is beating fast, your legs are powering you forward in rhythmic bliss, your GPS watch confirms your pace is on track, and you can see that there are only a few more metres to go before summiting that massive hill, when suddenly, a camera flash goes off in front of you.“ Oh, no!” you think to yourself.“ Was I smiling? Do I have sweat stains under my armpits? Are my running tights see-through? – BY SAM STOKESBERRY
We’ ve all experienced it at least once – that dreaded race photo. The one that you untag yourself from on Facebook before any of your friends spot it. You know exactly which one I’ m talking about … And as a female athlete, it can be incredibly disheartening to see a photo of yourself that highlights your insecurities. Whether it’ s stretch marks, arm flab, or cellulite, the struggle is real … and everyone deals with it. In other words, the‘ good news’ is you’ re not alone.
PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
The key to overcoming these common( and stubborn) insecurities is to realise that no body is perfect, and no two bodies are alike. Every person’ s physique is perfectly imperfect, and this includes even the most elite athletes. So when doubt begins to creep in and mess with your mental game, try to remember the why factor behind your running. Find your joy, find your confidence, find your spark, and remind yourself what inspired you to get moving in the first place. Identify your strengths and the things you love about yourself, and focus on those, not your weaknesses. Because hey, we all have those.
Every athlete has different goals and motivations for running, whether it be camaraderie with our fellow runners, the scenic views of the mountain trails, the PB during the time trial, or the glass of beer or wine at the finish line. Deep down, we can all be certain that the sport of running is worth so much more than a medal or a race photo. I speak from personal experience when I say, don’ t let an unflattering action photo define who you are as an athlete, and don’ t let it mess with your mojo. No matter your weight or height or age, your body is a machine and it’ s built to do incredible things. So any scar or stretch mark or dimple of cellulite that you may bear, just confirms that you’ re a fighter who takes challenges as they come and refuses to give up.
And if that doesn’ t encourage you, maybe this will: When it comes to a solid race photo – or any photo, for that matter – a good photographer will always tell you that the key to taking a beautiful picture is great lighting. Terrible lighting can cast unflattering shadows and angles that accentuate all the wrong things, while concealing all the right things. It can add years to a person’ s age and kilograms to a person’ s weight. Bad lighting doesn’ t care how fit you are or how good your butt looks in a little black dress. Bad lighting doesn’ t discriminate. So when that unbecoming photo finds its way onto your Facebook page, laugh, shake it off, and think back to how it felt when you crossed the finish line, like a champion. So to misquote a classic break-up cliché,“ It’ s not you, it’ s the bad lighting.”
WE’ RE ACTUALLY AMAZING …
For all my fellow female athletes who may battle with maintaining a healthy body image, here are a few more facts to boost your ego. It’ s scientifically proven that women have an overall higher body fat percentage than men, by roughly 6 % to 11 %, so don’ t panic if your husband or boyfriend eats twice as much as you, but still has a six pack. This is due to our body’ s increased production of sex and reproductive hormones( like oestrogen). Because of our higher levels of oestrogen, women are able to burn more fuel from fat than men, which preserves our muscle glycogen stores. This anatomical advantage is also what gives us the amazing, superhero-like ability of being able to grow tiny humans inside our bodies and birth them into the world. So, the fat that we store up not only gives us super sexy curves, it’ s also highly beneficial for sustaining and protecting the human race – and that’ s something we should take great pride in!
So, the next time you spot a photographer in a race, don’ t dive into the bushes in an attempt to dodge the dreaded picture you think will result. Run with pride, celebrating the fierce athlete that you’ ve become. Then, be prepared to look back at that race photo and see a beautiful and strong( and potentially very sweaty) athlete staring back at you. And be proud of her.
About the Author: Sam is an American athlete doing missionary work combating human trafficking in South Africa and has more than 13 years of running experience. Nowadays she focuses on trail running( and captaining her soccer team), often using her training runs to increase her fitness, breathe in the scenery, and push her limits as a runner. And she openly admits to making awkward running poses every single time she passes a race photographer.
Image: Courtesy Amoija Events
“ I speak from personal experience when I say, don’ t let an unflattering action photo define who you are as an athlete, and don’ t let it mess with your mojo.”
32 ISSUE 94 MAY 2017 / www. modernathlete. co. za