Thunder Thighs

A few weeks ago, my friend Jess posted this awesome Nike ad on her Facebook page. (Please click on the picture, and it will blow up to be larger in a separate window so that you can read the text. Do it now, I'll wait.)

I loved it at the time, but wasn't really sure I could claim it.  I mean, yes, I do have thunder thighs, but I wasn't sure I could claim to be as strong as the person in the ad.  I mean, I'm not that great of a runner, and I've never done a marathon, right?

That was before last weekend when I ran my first triathlon.  My friend Amie was there and took several great pictures of me before, during and after the race, including this one.

My first thought when I saw it was "Look at those thunder thighs!"  My gut reaction was completely negative. I even said something out loud like "Ugh, look at my legs."  After hearing this reaction, Amie even cropped my legs out of the picture when she posted it on Facebook later.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how proud I should be of these thunder thighs. They carried the brunt of the abuse during my tri. They helped me run up out of that beach, jump on a bike for 9.3 miles and then run/walk another 3.1.  They've carried me up mountains during hikes and helped me participate in many a jump picture. I'm proud of what they've accomplished for me.   Like the ad says, "I have thunder thighs, and that's a compliment because they are strong and toned and muscular."

Part of this journey is learning to love your body. What have your thunder thighs done for you lately?