Shifting Pressures In Women's Running: A Message To Female Athletes
The Pressure Didn’t Disappear. It Just Changed.
If you’re a female runner right now, especially in high school or college, there’s a kind of pressure that’s hard to name but easy to feel.
It shows up in how you think about your body, your training, and whether you’re doing enough to improve.
For years, that pressure was talked about as something coming from coaches. And while that still exists in some environments, the reality now looks different.
A lot of the pressure is internal.
And a lot of it is shaped by what you see online.
The New Source of Pressure
You have access to more information than any generation of runners before you.
Training plans. Race results. Splits. Nutrition advice. Body types.
But what you’re actually seeing most of the time isn’t information. It’s curated success.
It’s athletes at their leanest, fastest, most polished moments.
And when you’re serious about improving, it’s easy to take that in and turn it into a question:
"Do I need to look like that to get better?"
When "Discipline" Starts to Hurt You
It doesn’t usually start in an obvious way.
It starts with small decisions that feel productive:
- Skipping a snack
- Choosing less food than you need
- Avoiding eating around teammates
- Feeling a sense of control when you’re hungry
In a sport that rewards effort, those behaviors can feel like commitment.
But they’re not.
Underfueling is not discipline. It’s self-sabotage.
Even if it feels controlled.Even if it feels like progress.
Because over time, it leads to:
- Lower energy
- Poor recovery
- Higher injury risk
- Plateaued or declining performance
It moves you further away from your goals, not closer.
What You’re Not Seeing When You Scroll
When you compare yourself to other runners online, you’re missing key pieces of the picture.
You don’t know:
- Their genetics
- Their full training load
- Their injury history
- Whether they’re actually healthy
And you definitely don’t see what’s happening behind the scenes.
You’re comparing your full experience to a filtered version of someone else’s.
A Voice You Can Trust: Sonja Friend-Uhl
Sonja Friend-Uhl has competed at the highest levels of the sport, including the Olympic Trials and multiple U.S. World Teams. She’s also coached athletes across high school, collegiate, and adult levels.
She’s seen what actually works long term.
And one of the most important things she emphasizes is this:
There is no single body type that guarantees performance.
She’s worked with athletes who succeed at very different body compositions and training volumes.
Some thrive at lower mileage. Others at higher.
The common thread isn’t how they look.
It’s how well they support their body.
What Actually Leads to Getting Better
If your goal is to improve, the fundamentals are simple, even if they’re not always easy:
- Fuel consistently and adequately
- Recover well
- Train based on how your body responds
- Build strength over time
None of that requires shrinking yourself.
You Are Not Behind. You’re Human.
If you’ve questioned your body, your training, or whether you need to change how you look to get better, you’re not alone.
But it’s worth being honest about where that path leads.
Chasing a smaller version of yourself is not the same as becoming a better athlete.
A Final Thought You Might Need to Hear Today
The athletes who improve over time, stay healthy, and continue to enjoy the sport are not the ones who restrict the most.
They’re the ones who learn how to support their body.
So the next time you feel that pull to eat less, control more, or compare yourself to someone online, pause.
Ask yourself:
Is this helping my performance, or just changing my appearance?
Because those are not the same thing.
And the version of you that reaches your potential is not the smallest version of you.
It’s the strongest, most supported version.
Keep Learning. Keep Getting Better.
If this resonated with you, share it with a teammate who might need to hear it too.
If you’re trying to improve without compromising your health, we go deeper on topics like this in the Maximum Mileage Running Podcast. You can listen to the full episode with Sonja Friend-Uhl here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-college-runners-to-perimenopause-training-fueling/id1692891567?i=1000755773399
If you want more content like this, you can follow me on Instagram at @coach_hannah_witt:
https://www.instagram.com/coach_hannah_witt/
And if you’re interested in learning more from Sonja or working with her, you can connect with her on Instagram at @coachsonjaruns and send her a direct message.
Even if you’re not in a place to work with a coach right now, learning how to support your body early will change your entire trajectory in the sport.
