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brittanyblack34 's review for:
Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World
by Lauren Fleshman
Reading this book felt to reminiscing with an old running friend (minus all of the elite running and Olympian details).
I love the way she ended it - tying in her passion for the sport to a feeling of home. I think running has always felt that way for me - a way to process my emotions, work through unresolved issues, and above all else feel proud of something I have done.
Why is it that something that makes us so proud can also transform into something that leaves us feeling self-conscious about our bodies? The transition through puberty is a scary one because it's true - so many runners that peak before puberty don't know how to respond to their changing bodies. I recall feeling a sense of pride that I wouldn't experience my period throughout high school thinking that it reflected the strength of my training... Lauren's consistent point that we need to better support our girls as they transition, reminding them that their bodies will change, likely they will get bigger, and while, initially this may change our course as we adapt to our changing body, the biggest threat is viewing our body as something that needs to be controlled inevitably leading eating disorders.
I feel lucky that I grew up on a running team that I felt prioritized healthy eating - valued carbohydrates and adequate fueling. Somewhere along the line though, we pick up the seemingly small comments about our "thighs getting big so we should be careful", and we lose focus on achieving our athletic goals in a sport we cherish and focus on controlling something that should not be controlled. We get fixated on this idea of healthy and slim. I think normalizing body changes as neutral allows us to accept that our bodies will change and fluctuate but as long as we are fueling ourselves and prioritizing wellness then this matters little.
Lauren discussed this "Culture of Compliance" which reflected this need to prioritize what society needs over your own relationship to your body. This idea of consistently continuing in the competition past a point of injury because that is what "not giving up looks like." I agree with Lauren that when we stop listening to our bodily cues to tell us about injury about hunger we lose site of our connection with ourselves.
Last note - If you're reading this and haven't read her "Letter to Her Younger Self" It was poignant and meaningful - you can find it online. It's worth a read.
I love the way she ended it - tying in her passion for the sport to a feeling of home. I think running has always felt that way for me - a way to process my emotions, work through unresolved issues, and above all else feel proud of something I have done.
Why is it that something that makes us so proud can also transform into something that leaves us feeling self-conscious about our bodies? The transition through puberty is a scary one because it's true - so many runners that peak before puberty don't know how to respond to their changing bodies. I recall feeling a sense of pride that I wouldn't experience my period throughout high school thinking that it reflected the strength of my training... Lauren's consistent point that we need to better support our girls as they transition, reminding them that their bodies will change, likely they will get bigger, and while, initially this may change our course as we adapt to our changing body, the biggest threat is viewing our body as something that needs to be controlled inevitably leading eating disorders.
I feel lucky that I grew up on a running team that I felt prioritized healthy eating - valued carbohydrates and adequate fueling. Somewhere along the line though, we pick up the seemingly small comments about our "thighs getting big so we should be careful", and we lose focus on achieving our athletic goals in a sport we cherish and focus on controlling something that should not be controlled. We get fixated on this idea of healthy and slim. I think normalizing body changes as neutral allows us to accept that our bodies will change and fluctuate but as long as we are fueling ourselves and prioritizing wellness then this matters little.
Lauren discussed this "Culture of Compliance" which reflected this need to prioritize what society needs over your own relationship to your body. This idea of consistently continuing in the competition past a point of injury because that is what "not giving up looks like." I agree with Lauren that when we stop listening to our bodily cues to tell us about injury about hunger we lose site of our connection with ourselves.
Last note - If you're reading this and haven't read her "Letter to Her Younger Self" It was poignant and meaningful - you can find it online. It's worth a read.