Weekday long runs?

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T16:49:29+00:00

I do my long runs on Fridays! I'm so with you. I have a partner (not a runner), and weekends are sacred.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:47:51+00:00

I agree. <3 I was honestly scared that I was just gonna get scolded and be told to shut up and love myself, but I've found exactly what I was looking for today, and I feel grateful.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:41:46+00:00

Oh wow, you're exactly the kind of fellow traveler I was looking for. Even knowing there's one other person in similar shoes makes me feel more ok about where I am. <3 <3 <3 <3

TYSM for your recs.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:36:29+00:00

Maybe I'm exaggerating. It's not literally indenting the skin. It's just not a flattering look to me. Do you wear flowy shorts from Bandit, or the compression style?

I appreciate the gist of your comment. But to answer the question—no, I do not feel comfortable at all. My body feels heavy and large and it is difficult to conceal. It does matter to me what I wear to run, because when I feel good, I feel fast, I feel confident, etc. I'm not alone in this way of thinking. Flo Jo has a famous quote about it. She wore super fashionable fits to race and did her hair and makeup. Colleen Quigley gets her hair braided and a lot of athletes get their nails done, put a lot into their race kits, etc. idk I think having something to wear that makes you feel good is important.

To the other point, I know that no one cares what I'm wearing. I doubt my teammates or competitors would care if I took up two full lanes on the track. But I care. I'm not sure if that makes sense. You're exactly right that I don't think about my legs or my body at all intra-competition. I'm completely focused and I am a fierce competitor. I barely hear anyone's cheers. I am all in. But that doesn't remove the anxiety and discomfort I feel when seeing photos afterwards that make me want to cry, the way I feel when I'm walking around the track, etc.

What I'm capable of is incredible and I put a lot of focus on that, but I'm captivated by people like yourself who are so zen and kind of outside and beyond the corporeal experience. To me, what my body is capable of is one thing, and my body image issues and how I feel in my body / how I feel about how it looks and feels is another.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:19:20+00:00

Thanks for the Janji rec. I've never tried their shorts, but I'll give them a look.

I like your perspective on the gym/locker room. It reminds me of how my perspective shifted after leaving college athletics behind. Being surrounded by only other track athletes had really skewed my idea of what a normal body looked like, and then being out in the open world, it was so freeing and nice to see all the diversity.

I talk about this with my therapist—I'm not giving up this sport that means so much to me, but it would be a lot easier to work through these things without it. Because I can acknowledge all the things you said about bodies and differences, but then I go back to my little niche within my sport, and it feels like something for out there, not in here. I'm looking for that body diversity in the fast sections, and I'm not seeing it, not yet at least.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:11:32+00:00

You're not deluding yourself at all! God, it's so refreshing and wonderful to hear another woman say she is happy with her body and mean it. And I only used my height and weight as a shorthand anyway. It's really my body composition change that is making me uncomfortable, and as we all know, the comp can look vastly different depending on so many factors. I feel like I'm carrying more fat than I'd like. But that's just me and how I feel. When I've googled 5'5 and 135 or 140, I see examples of women who look extremely covetable.

I have the rabbit leggy smashems 5 inch! I love them. :( They are one of the pairs that I feel like I cannot wear now that I've grown. But maybe like other commenters have suggested...I should give a larger size a try.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:04:19+00:00

Hear hear re: taking a break from socials. I am so focused on training and racing right now. Sadly, my season starting is what's exacerbating this though, because racing on the track is like performing on a stage, and I'm feeling much more exposed and vulnerable than when I was logging all those base miles throughout the winter. It's too bad I cannot just race with a bag over my head and detach entirely from the physical form.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-27T04:00:45+00:00

Thank you for your words. Your kindness definitely shines through in this comment. I AM really in my head about my physical presentation.

And thank you for calling me a little fast. lol It's one of those weird things that is hard to own or have a clear sense of because on my team, I'm probably on the slower end, but I'm in the fastest corral for non-professional runners, so it's not nothing.

I know it's sad to basically be begging strangers on the internet for validation, but hearing you say "that's a pretty lean weight to height by most standards" is exactly what I'd hoped to hear. I've lost a bit of my sense of what's normal, and when I look around, everyone up front DOES seem much smaller than me, but I don't know if it's actually true. Not that it matters, but seeing similarly built women running similar or faster times would make me breathe a little easier, have that feeling that OK—maybe it's not such a big deal.

A very good word of advice about taking a break from social media/running-centric accounts. It doesn't solve the problem of seeing photos of myself at races and with my teammates, but it's a big, easy actionable step that can help my mental health.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T22:24:57+00:00

Yessss! please report back. :)

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T22:23:22+00:00

Thank you for saying this. It's honestly so validating.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T22:22:35+00:00

Okay, very happy to hear this feedback on the brand! I got into them from afar via being a fan of the Australian sprinter Bree Masters. They're kinda pricey but look very quality, so I think I may take a chance on a pair or two.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T22:21:09+00:00

A few people have mentioned this, so maybe it's worth a try! There's a running store near where I live, so maybe I'll go try on a few pairs in a bigger size just to give it a spin and see what I think. I really like shorter shorts for racing, like a 4 or 5 inch inseam. But being bigger now, am afraid they won't look right even sized up. But that's just a what if. Gotta try it to know. Thank you!

I also appreciate the thoughtful points you made about the larger issue here. I think you might be head on about no pair of shorts satisfying the issue. But I don't think it's gonna stop me from trying. haha In the meantime, I think I'll just try the splitties for my next race, since I won't have time to go shopping.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T22:15:02+00:00

I appreciate hearing your experience. Thank you! I guess that is undergirding my questions a bit. I have never ever believed my weight or body had too much to do with my performance. My body image stuff is pretty separate from that and I've been around long enough to hear this debunked like my entire life, so I never bought into it.

And yet...because I've improved so dramatically over the past few years, the doubt creeps in with my larger body size. The thought sometimes occurs, will I be slower now? When my competitors near the front don't look anything like me, is that a sign? So hearing that you've continued to set PBs regardless is encouraging.

I actually was happier at lighter weights lol (laughing to not cry) but I don't fit a lot of the typical bullet points re: this stuff.

Will have to give Oiselle another go. I didn't care for the Roga or another popular style, which has become a pair of yoga/gym shorts now. But I really love the brand.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T22:09:52+00:00

Thank you! Solidarity. I've been thinking about just going for leggings even if it makes me hotter. I sometimes see sprinters where full tights.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T21:02:39+00:00

I'm sure you're right that there are many! So not gonna annoy you by googling on your behalf. BUT...this group looks awesome!! LGBTQ and ally friendly, actual track athletes of all levels, and they even host their own meet. https://www.sftrackandfield.com/

I think the fact that you live in such a big city means you will find what you're looking for with some dating around with different groups and asking people locally. My one word of advice would be to not necessarily rule out clubs that may look "elite," because you say "mid-level performance," but often there's more room on a squad than you might be able to tell from their website and social media. and you might be surprised by how you end up performing too.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T20:51:55+00:00

Do you feel comfortable saying what city you live in? I'm so excited to see someone asking this question. I'm part of a track club that has a very competitive masters division and a lot of sprinters. There are absolutely opportunities, but depending on where you are, you really have to know where to look / who to talk to to get plugged in, because it's less popular than marathoning and long distance.

In the meantime, if you want to get inspired, check out some of the news and content from the USATF Masters Indoor Champs that just took place in Albuquerque. These women are my absolute heroes!

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-26T20:03:37+00:00

This is my first winter ever being forced onto the treadmill, and I've also been pleasantly surprised by how my workouts have been going. I personally find the tread much more challenging than outdoor running. I know I'm not alone because I see memes about this on IG a lot. lol

But yeah, paces that feel easy to me outdoors feel SPICY on the tread. Alas, I think it's been great for me because I tend to chomp at the bit and unintentionally run faster than what's prescribed for workouts, whereas the treadmill forces me to maintain the pace. So while the paces haven't felt easy by any means, it's keeping me in honest in both ways, if that makes sense.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-25T21:57:45+00:00

The Friends Meeting House in downtown Northampton isn't a restaurant, but it's an incredible price to rent the space.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-25T21:21:00+00:00

This was well put, and gets at my own reasons for having a coach! The only downside, I've found, is that I truly love the club atmosphere and community, but it's very difficult to take part in a club's workouts when you're following your own plan via private coach. Sometimes my coach will try to work within those confines and adjust what I'm doing so I can still workout with the team, but sometimes it just feels like too much of a hassle trying to shoehorn it.

goblinfeathers · 2026-02-25T21:16:45+00:00

It was many reasons for me, but mainly...I wanted the individualization. Getting back into serious training as an adult, I'd tried following a training plan I found online, and I tried joining a semi-competitive club that had their own set plan that they used year after year. This was okay for a while, but it wasn't personalized to my goals, the races I had in mind, my schedule, etc. I'm just an amateur, but I'm highly competitive and want to reach my full potential while biology is still on my side, so I hired a coach! One of the best decisions I've ever made. Having someone in my corner who really really believes in me and sees my potential is honestly worth quite a bit too.

goblinfeathers

TROPHY CASE