Two weeks out from my first marathon, I looked in the mirror and didn’t see the version of myself I thought I would. There was no six-pack, not even a hint of ab definition. My glutes weren’t particularly sculpted, and I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as lean like many runners I see.
At 5-foot-10, I’ve never been the smallest girl in the room. And while my long legs certainly help me cover more distance, I expected months of marathon training to leave me looking more visibly athletic, with more muscle definition and a physique that reflected just how hard I’d been working. I thought that after months of early alarms, added protein, and steadily increasing mileage, I’d look in the mirror and see a different body type.
Somewhere along the way, I absorbed the idea that a runner’s body should look a certain way. When mine didn’t match that image, I started wondering if I wasn’t training hard enough, if I was doing something wrong, or if my body simply wasn’t responding the way it was supposed to. As I approached race day, I thought about why I was holding myself to that standard in the first place, especially because I was running the New York City Marathon on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, an organization whose work centers on bodily autonomy and compassionate care.
Why was I putting so much pressure on my body to look different when it was already doing something incredible? I realized training for a marathon isn’t just about building endurance; it can also mean confronting the expectations you place on yourself. So many people have an idea of what a “runner’s body” is supposed to look like, particularly fed by what we see online.
When you see the same body type represented over and over, it’s easy to start associating that appearance with athleticism. But running a marathon is an enormous physical undertaking, and there’s no single body type that proves you’re capable of doing it. Clinical sport psychologist Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, explains that the concept of “a runner’s body” is “largely a socially constructed ideal influenced by media representation, sport culture, and the tendency to associate certain physical characteristics with athletic success.” She adds that distance running has historically been represented by a lean body type, particularly smaller-framed athletes, which can leave some recreational runners questioning whether they fit the mold.
Comparison is a large part of this problem, too, says Cindra Kamphoff, PhD, mental performance coach and founder of the Mentally Strong Institute. Marathon training is practically a master class in comparison, making it hard to avoid. You’re tracking your pace, watching your mileage climb, sharing runs on Strava, and seeing what everyone else is doing.
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