# @altrarunning on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CqG2juAvgu0
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/5022002-altrarunning-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/01de88ccd6.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-03-22T21:56:12.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Altra Running (@AltraRunning) — https://gondola.cc/AltraRunning

## Caption

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 my body should look like but rather has made me proud of what my body is capable of. The process has become more beautiful than the result.

I learned that all I need to be an athlete, is a healthy body able to move and all of the other crap doesn’t matter. Food has become fuel and my body has become my best friend.

Since this self-discovery, I have walked across three countries on foot, climbed the highest free-standing mountain in the world, have run my own personal ultras, kicked ass in my first official race just last year, joined the best community of runners I could have ever asked for and have met some of the most admirable humans. And…this is only just the start!

— Altra Run Crew Ambassador nepollak 

#ThisIsARunnersBody

📸: ethanherrold

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## Tags

thisisarunnersbody

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