Yesterday, I wasn’t having the best day. It was my first day back to work after being off for a week’s stay-cation. Those first days back are usually flooded with emails, phone messages and trying to keep up at meetings. By 4 pm yesterday, I was mentally done – checked out. So my plan was to run last night……
It’s been a few days since my last confession….oh I mean, since my last run. I ran Saturday and it was a terrible 4k on the treadmill. My hamstring just wasn’t digging it until I foam rolled afterwards. Sunday, I did my PT exercises and that was it as my hamstring was sore . By Monday, my thunder thighs just wanted to run as did my head.
My lovely lady leg (Before)
YOU know, that GOOD, long distance run I’ve been craving for months now. I didn’t get that one in but I got another 5 k in the books. My legs felt fantastic. Tired. Exhausted. Perfect.
Mission accomplished!
Okay, let’s get down to it. Thunder Thighs vs. Runder Thighs.
I always hated my thighs. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever like them.
I’ve taken them for granted. All those soccer games, skiing, hiking, the weight of two pregnancies and all those kilometers run. And I still didn’t like them. No, wait….I didn’t like the look of them.
They have been small, BIG and slimmer over the years, yet I’ve really taken them for granted all because of the way I think they look: not good.
Straight up – RUNder thighs (After)
Well, today, after 6-7 weeks in physiotherapy I had a fantastic run. I needed that run and I ran in my short – shorts. I took a before photo {1st photo above} and then a second one after – happy, strong thighs. Well really, these are my RUNDER thighs. They get me through my kilometers, through my day and I am stronger because of them.
I no longer hate my thighs….
PS – Sometimes I can’t believe I share this stuff on my blog only because some friends, family and coworkers read it. This isn’t a conversation I would have with just anyone face to face…….so consider yourself lucky 😉
Did you ever dislike a part of your body that has been so good to you?
Short shorts or long shorts?
What do you do after a mentally draining day?
Piper's Run 
I loved this post! It was great😆 I have always had thunder thighs, they came in handy when I was a rower and a soccer player, even when I play the tuba they hold it in place!!! I now refer to my friends as Thunder and Lightening! They’ve carried me through 42.2km and have saved my phone a million times! I think us as women can always find something we hate about ourselves, but as runners we should never hate our thighs!!!!
So true, they do so much for us!
Great change of attitude. Love it! And glad you had a good run, too. Way to go ANNA!
Thanks Elle! I’m so jealous of the lovely weather you are having 😉
as runners, our legs put up with so much!! and your thighs are totally normal-looking! I think everyone has parts of their body that look horrible to them but normal to the rest of the world 🙂
I absolutely totally get this. As a former figure skater I have some big muscular thighs and butt. I thought running would make it slim down but not at all. I have always hated them and dread shopping for pants. I always feel “fat” because of them. And the scale goes up because of all that muscle so I never fit in the weight category I should. BUT do you know how many people, random strangers, stop me to compliment me on my legs? You would be surprised. Sometimes we need to sit back and appreciate where those legs take us. Great post!
I could never find pants that fit well either until I lost some weight last year. That’s fantastic people complement you on your legs – must put a smile on your face. We do need to appreciate them!
Awesome post! I also dislike my thighs, and always have. I remember writing in my diary at age 12 that I hated “my chunky thighs because they rub together.” I try now to appreciate them for how strong they are. And I generally wear medium length shorts. Long enough that I don’t have to worry about chafing or butt cheeks hanging out.
Wow, interesting that you remember writing that in your diary at 12! I was confident about my legs until my 20’s and then it went down hill…but I’m back up there now 😉 Last year I started using Body glide when wearing short shorts – LIFE changing for the better! I seriously NEVER thought I would wear a real pair of running shorts out at a race!
Body Glide is DEFINITELY a game changer. I just never remember it when I’m rushing around getting ready!
Too cute. Runder thighs. Never heard it put that way. I too watch my thighs with my training because as I boost up the miles my thighs get bigger and are my work horses. Love that they carry me. Maybe one of these days we will get outside on our runs and then long days will feel so much better because we will be outside running!
Short shorts. Shorts are called shorts because they are shorts, you’re getting too close to pants if you err on the side of longs. Throw long to the wind, your runder thighs need to be seen!
In high school, we read Gone With the Wind, and after reading a line that said that in a corset Scarlet’s waist was 17″ around I pulled out the measuring tape to see exactly how small that is….well, smaller than my thigh, that’s for sure! I think of that sometimes and it makes me laugh because of how incredibly ridiculous it was. 😉
Love. ❤ No matter how many times people can tell you that you look great, finally getting to a point where you love yourself is the best thing ever. Your legs are awesome, strong, and carry you for miles and miles! Don't change a thing!
I had the same mindset towards hating my legs for the longest time! I even wrote a post very similar to this a few months back 🙂
I think the wonderful thing about being active, in any manner, is it gives you an appreciation for your body that you may not have had. I embrace my not-so-skinny legs because they have muscle, and that muscle has helped me run a lot of races, of all distances. We are lucky we get to run, regardless of our body shape and size.
Aside from my legs, running has helped me focus on strengthening other parts of my body to prevent injury. It’s no longer about getting that visible 6 pack, but instead about having a stronger core and backside. I work out for me, not the mirror.
Love. Runder thighs all the way. And hurray for getting a good run it! You are on a roll!
I always though I had bigger thighs then my friends at school. Despite being a skinny teenager I still had big thighs – or so I thought! I still have big thighs, I dislike having to sit on my heels because they look massive but, they carry me about, there’s 8 muscles in there, they keep getting my runs faster, longer…I’ve got some definition in them, I’m slowly starting to not care – because they work and that’s what’s important! I can’t get into super skinny jeans because of my runners calf’s anyway 😉
RUNder thighs = Awesome! 🙂 I always feel like I have man legs, especially in finish line photos. Recently I’ve grown to really appreciate all they do for me. My PT thinks they help me reduce injury by securing my stance, especially on the not -so -even snow covered ground….with the exception of last week’s slip/fall and ankle roll. 😦 I LOVED this post!
I always thought I had man thighs 😉 Jean just never fit but I’m the same…I’ve grown to appreciate my thighs more and am proud of wear they take me. The uneven snow just sucks….it’s really messing with my hamstring so I’ve just have to stay off it for now 😦
A guy’s thoughts. I have love handles which will never go away, a legacy of my 7-8 years of being overweight. I’d love them to go away, but in the grander scheme of things, I can live with them. I guess thighs are not a male problem, but both men and women can be happy that each run is a small step to improvement, inside and out.
Peter! Thank you so much for your input…I was wondering if I would get any responses from any men…so thank you for that. Happy running 🙂
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Great post! And great attitude! I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot accurately judge how big any of my body parts are – so I’ve tried to just be happy with what they allow me to do. But keeping that attitude every damn day is pretty hard!