“Marathon training run: Done! Earned my Christmas feast!”
“Out for a run on Christmas Day–miles before meals amiright?!”
“Twelve miles on Christmas Day! Time to go enjoy my pecan pie!”
-Instagram, (potentially) ruining your holiday relaxation since 2010
I didn’t run twelve miles on that Christmas Day. In fact, I wasn’t able to run any miles. Plagued with my first ever running injury, I was sitting on the couch in my pajamas, digesting Christmas morning pancakes, and noticing an amplifying anxiety as I scrolled through and read Instagram. Everyone else got to go running. If not a run, someone got in a strength video, home yoga, hill repeats, or maybe a bike ride. I hated that I couldn’t do any of those things (doctor’s orders).
Prior to scrolling through this feed of everyone exercising on their holiday, I felt fine about my pancakes, couch, and pajama situation. After, I felt unsettled. Frustrated. Bloated. Stuffed. Something akin to my eating disorder days. One side of my brain tried to convince me I had to find a way to exercise like everyone else did; the other knew that I couldn’t, and was okay with it.
This is recovery, in a nutshell.
The nuances of recovery are different for all of us, but a unifying theme is that social media makes it hard. No matter what stage of recovery we’re in, comparison comes too easy. The person who posted about their twelve miles and their pecan pie didn’t know that my right knee was injured. They didn’t know that I couldn’t run at all. They didn’t know that I sat there staring at that photo, thinking about my pancakes and my zero miles, in angst.
It’s not just on holidays, it’s every day.
Recovery happens every single day. Every day we battle our own mind in an attempt to keep it in a safe place. Every day we protect ourselves from our own struggles. Every day there is something on social media with high potential to trigger disordered eating or disordered exercise thoughts.
As we thought about the purpose and potential of each Lane 9 social channel, Instagram was a question-mark. Twitter, Facebook, and our Newsletter are for sharing stories, good reads, and project updates. What story could our Instagram tell?
@Lane9Project on Instagram: The story of our recovery.
We are sharing what recovery, and day-to-day life of recovery, looks like on Instagram. Alexis, Samantha, and I all have different daily routines, different food preferences, different training schedules, and different professions. We’re in different stages of recovery, from our unique experiences with orthorexia, running, and the Female Athlete Triad.
Join this community, share your story, or just say hi through our L9P form.
Together, we are creating a community for all of us that run in Lane 9. And that will always mean being open, authentic, and realistic about what recovery looks like for us. Find us on Instagram, sharing what our day-to-day looks like. Share yours with us.
If you’re an active lady or lady health activist, coach, mentor, parent, or healthcare provider, let us know through our community newsletter.
If you want to share your story, get in touch with us through the form or by emailing Lane9Project@gmail dot com.
If you just want to follow along, stay tuned here and say hi 👋 on Twitter or Instagram.
Lane 9 Project 