I’m 32 years old. I’m a professional athlete, making a living by running. And I’ve had two babies, 15 months apart.
Those two boys—Riley, born June 2014, weighing in at 9 pounds, and Hudson, born September 2015, an 8-pounder—have wreaked havoc on my abs.
They’ve also brought me so much joy you can’t even imagine, but my abs are what everyone wants to talk about.
If you look at my stomach, you’ll see a lot of loose skin. Stretch marks. Dimples. Brown spots. A bit of a pouch where all that loose skin is hanging out over my waistband.
It’s a hot mess. Given that I am otherwise thin, and I like to run in shorts and a sports bra, you’re going to notice my stomach flapping.
It’s funny, though, because I don’t feel bad about it. In fact, I’m running better now than I ever did before I got pregnant. I’m training for the Olympic Trials in July, trying to make the team for Rio in the 10,000 meters.
When I see my stomach, I sense a disconnect between how it looks and how I feel, which is strong, powerful, and fast. And I’m so psyched to be a mom and have my husband and my boys alongside me.
I posted a picture of my stomach—and my legs and feet—to Instagram about two weeks ago. Here’s the caption I wrote: “When I look down I see stretch marks that are here to stay, ab muscles that need continued strengthening, legs that are powerful, and feet that are ready to fly!”
A lot of people noticed. Women and moms thanked me for sharing and told me I inspired them. The media picked up the story. It resonated with a lot of people and then it caught fire. Suddenly my abs were a topic of conversation, which is pretty strange.
The muscles are getting a lot stronger. My core strength is coming back. But the extra skin has nowhere to go, and I don’t see it toning up very much from here.
Sure, I have an occasional pang of longing for my old stomach, my pre-baby body. I used to really like how I looked in swimsuits. In my world—in the professional running world—you’re surrounded by a lot of women who have perfectly sculpted abs. And I’m realizing that’s not me anymore. Sometimes I’m like, “Gosh, my stomach is never going to be like it was before I had kids.”
But that’s just a passing thought. You know why? Because it doesn’t matter what I look like.
My appearance does not matter because I can still run at the level of someone whose stomach is completely flat.
Make no mistake: I have done a lot of work to get back. I’ve had diastasis recti—which means my abdominal muscles were separated, and that condition caused a lot of pain in my pelvis when I was trying to run. (We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.) I spent about an hour a day doing exercises to build the strength back up in my abs, until one day the pain went away.
Now I’m running 60–70 miles per week. I have time to put in the work, because this is my career. But my strength didn’t come back because I’m a superhuman freak of nature. I have a lot of other things going for me.
My husband, Ben, is so supportive. Not one moment has he ever said, “Your stomach looks gross.” He thinks I’m beautiful. So that’s an important part, to be able to have a partner who supports you.
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Related: Another Elite Shares Her “Real” Post-Baby Photos
Women and men need to be more aware of how much the body changes after pregnancy and childbirth—and support moms through all of it. And women, you should support yourselves.
It’s gratifying that women think I’m inspiring, but I didn’t intend to inspire anyone when I posted that picture. I was just trying to be real and raise a topic that doesn’t get talked about a lot: the postpartum body.
My big goal? To encourage women to be confident in whatever skin they have. Do not be ashamed. Don’t let how you look hold you back from whatever your capabilities are. I’m not.
Editor’s Note: On April 1 at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California, Rothstein Bruce finished eighth in the 10,000 meters in 32:14.42. The time qualifies her to run at the Olympic Games in Rio. In order to make it to the Games, she needs to finish in the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July.
