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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
"The sports environments we fought so hard to have equal access to were built by men for men and boys. Our definition of gender equality has been, 'Getting what the men have, the way they have it' and it's backfiring. We fold and smash women and girls into a male-based infrastructure and then scratch our heads when the same friction points show up again and again."
"If there had been intentional space made in sports for menstrual health and symptom management by coaches and staff, I would have viewed my cycle as something to learn from and work with instead of a limiting inconvenience that made me resent my female body."
"But equality doesn't end at the equal right to play. True equality in sports, like any other industry, requires rebuilding the systems so that there is an equal chance to thrive."
"If there had been intentional space made in sports for menstrual health and symptom management by coaches and staff, I would have viewed my cycle as something to learn from and work with instead of a limiting inconvenience that made me resent my female body."
"But equality doesn't end at the equal right to play. True equality in sports, like any other industry, requires rebuilding the systems so that there is an equal chance to thrive."
Learned a lot! Can't wait for our book club discussion on this one as I live in a big running community.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
What a great read. It’s both very inspiring and frustrating. The way coaches have treated and continue to treat young female athletes is terrible. This and a few other books made me want to never buy any Nike products. Having had my own issues with food and working out this book was very relatable and everyone should read it!
must read for every female runner. it never ceases to shock me how much of the world truly is built for men with women only as an afterthought. seeing how much this extends to running and sports was eye opening. lauren is an inspiring athlete, writer and role model.
I thought this book was great in many ways - I loved the focus on menstrual health for runners and the many explanations of why it's so important for female runners to eat well and maintain healthy weight even during hard training periods. I enjoyed the introduction of RED-S, the feminist approach to life and running, Lauren's explanations of her own allyship and her failures to be a good ally, and particularly the analogy to the diet industry / sports industry creating negative self-talk within women and particularly BIPOC/disabled women as a form of violence.
That being said, I disliked a lot of other things about this book. The writing style, with its constant lists and repetitions ("I wanted... I wanted... I wanted..." and so forth) got on my nerves, though the style is common in sports books. I think that Lauren did a pretty good job of acknowledging her privilege as a white runner in the book, but I would have loved more focus on racialized aspects of the sport, as well as intersections with ABILITY in the sport. I respect Lauren's decision to represent gender as binary within this book because of her explicit explanation that that was how she viewed gender at the time, but I still want a more nuanced explanation of gender within the sport. I also felt frustrated by Lauren's description of how she ALMOST helped Mary Cain, but didn't. It felt irrelevant - almost like a "name drop" to garner attention, when Cain was so greviously injured and hurting.
All this being said, I think this book is good on the whole, and I recognized myself in a lot of parts of the story, as a runner myself. I'm glad Fleshman wrote the book - I think younger female runners reading it will definitely be impacted in a positive manner.
That being said, I disliked a lot of other things about this book. The writing style, with its constant lists and repetitions ("I wanted... I wanted... I wanted..." and so forth) got on my nerves, though the style is common in sports books. I think that Lauren did a pretty good job of acknowledging her privilege as a white runner in the book, but I would have loved more focus on racialized aspects of the sport, as well as intersections with ABILITY in the sport. I respect Lauren's decision to represent gender as binary within this book because of her explicit explanation that that was how she viewed gender at the time, but I still want a more nuanced explanation of gender within the sport. I also felt frustrated by Lauren's description of how she ALMOST helped Mary Cain, but didn't. It felt irrelevant - almost like a "name drop" to garner attention, when Cain was so greviously injured and hurting.
All this being said, I think this book is good on the whole, and I recognized myself in a lot of parts of the story, as a runner myself. I'm glad Fleshman wrote the book - I think younger female runners reading it will definitely be impacted in a positive manner.
This book took me way too long to finish but I blame that on life and the fact that I normally don’t read nonfiction.
The writing was very well done, however, towards the end of the novel it started getting a bit repetitive and dragging some. But very powerful writing overall. It was personal but also had evidence based research added in throughout, which really drove home how little research was done (and still is) on women’s sports. And how male driven sports are. Nike…you better count your days bc you’re still not looking too hot and it’s 2024.
Go support Oiselle. Not Nike.
The writing was very well done, however, towards the end of the novel it started getting a bit repetitive and dragging some. But very powerful writing overall. It was personal but also had evidence based research added in throughout, which really drove home how little research was done (and still is) on women’s sports. And how male driven sports are. Nike…you better count your days bc you’re still not looking too hot and it’s 2024.
Go support Oiselle. Not Nike.
So important that a book like this exists for women in track and field (and honestly any female athlete). It also brought back so many memories of college track and I miss it a lot. I wish I had someone like Fleshman in my life, my relationship with my body and food would be so different. Must let this book marinate for a bit.
This book was incredible. Lauren does such a tough, but careful job of describing the MANY viewpoints on women’s bodies, whether it’s from the outside and how women are viewed in competition, to those women’s own views on their body. Especially as a post grad runner, it was a transition going from a very strong and fit runner, to not having a reason to be competing. I’ve had some of those voices in my own head, and it was very intense to feel seen, comforted AND uncomfortable hearing those voices in others minds. While this is a memoir, it feels like a self help book at the same time and takes you on a journey. The questions Lauren asks herself as a high school, college and pro athlete guide you through your own experiences, making this memoir about you too.
Can I get fast enough for Lauren to coach me????
Can I get fast enough for Lauren to coach me????