Why It’s Crazy Empowering to Run Shirtless

It liberates your inner athlete—no matter what your body size is. [ view in [browser](. add runnersworld@newsletter.runnersworld.com to your address book ] [RunnersWorld.com]( FOLLOW US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [You Tube]( [Why It’s Crazy Empowering to Run Shirtless]( Comfort is a daily battle for plus-size runners. We layer with clothing to hide our bodies and we girdle ourselves underneath to minimize imperfections. We worry that our not-so-ideal bodies might offend any onlooker. But all we're really doing is creating a fabric sweatbox from Hell. Our "security blankets" seem to work, but I eventually learned that those extra clothes were just closing me off from my true athletic self. One day on an eight-mile run, the sun was brutal and the sweat pouring off my body was unbearable. It was so sweltering hot, nudity would've been justified. I was alone on one of my favorite trails in Atlanta and did something I'd never considered before: I took off my sweat-soaked shirt and tucked it in the side of my yoga pants. It wasn't a magic moment. I still worried constantly about how my back fat looked peeking through my sports-bra straps. But taking off that layer made me run faster, and better. Despite the worries, there was also a sigh of relief, a feeling of new freedom. The irony is, as I crossed other runners on the trail, I got zero weird stares or judgy looks. The only reactions from my fellow runners were a casual "You go, girl" or a thumbs-up. I wished I'd done this sooner! [READ ON]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [Everything You Need to Know About Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc]( This 106-mile race in the Alps is not for the faint of heart. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [Women Run Pikes Peak to Celebrate 60th Anniversary of First Female to Go 26.2]( Eight years before Kathrine Switzer finished Boston, Arlene Pieper climbed and descended the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [‘Running Through Ulcerative Colitis Literally Saved My Life’]( Annabelle Winters experienced a serious hemorrhage postsurgery—but her runner’s heart helped her survive massive blood loss. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [Every Little Bit of Exercise Adds Up for Your Fitness Goals]( Trying to hit the recommended amount? Don’t forget to count the everyday easy stuff, too. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [Stiff and Heavy, the 361-Yushan Might Be Best for Hiking]( We liked this shoe’s protective rock plate, but the dense sole felt too rigid for most trails. [Read On]( [runnersworld.com]( ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019 [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Notice](