Growing up, like many other women, I was taught via the media that I had to look a certain way to perform - a way that has been enforced with eating habits and diet culture that is unhealthy and not sustainable. These perceptions scared me away from sports for years. My excuses were always “I’m not competitive,” or “I’m just not made for this.” I shrugged and giggled these insecurities away externally for years but internally I later discovered I was missing out. It was only a few years ago when I was introduced to running that I was able to learn to shut that internal dialogue of self-doubt off that paralyzed me from trying. To be frank, I’m still working on this. As I’ve been socialized within a culture of instant gratification, I learned that I had been discouraged by not only my perception of self but also my expectations for being an athlete rather than engaging in the process of becoming one. A shift in mindset has helped me not only to resist that urge of thinking about what...