I was a dedicated athlete, training in the gym 5 days a week, eleven months of the year. It was my goal to be the Women’s World Cup DH Champ. I was proud that my legs could press more weight than many of the kooky, big-upper-body muscle men that seemed to frequent the same gym as I. These legs brought me to the title of BC Champion in downhill mountain-biking in 1996. For me, this is an achievement I am very proud of.
But secretly, underneath, I wished to be that willowy ingenue; mile-long legs, looks great in boyshorts. Was it a twisted flashback to a Barbie-influenced childhood? My legs are now long and slender looking; gone is much of that hard-earned muscle. Crazily, I’ve begun to kind of like my new skinny look; it certainly allows me to wear the skinny-leg jeans that are in style now and only generally wearable by those under 25. However, they came at a price; I cannot run or jump. I cannot go up or down stairs without using my arms.
These are not the willowy legs I wished for.