Because We Can A Beautiful Work In Progress, Chapters 21-26 and Appendix
Posted on Dec. 2nd
In the final chapters of A Beautiful Work in
Progress, Valerio takes time to drive home her point that everyone can be
an athlete by talking about some of the stereotypes she has faced as a
plus-sized person and encouraging us to rethink what it truly means to be an
athlete.
Throughout the book, Valerio has written candidly about
the emotional exhaustion she feels living in a body whose shape is often
assumed to be the product of indolence, letting herself go, or lack of
self-control (paraphrased from pg# 301). She has been offered a wheelchair at
airports, people have looked at the marathon stickers on her car and assumed that
those stickers belonged to a previous owner, and her own friends have questioned
whether or not it is safe for her to run (Don't people drop dead doing that?
Won't it hurt your knees? They would ask.). It is tiring to regularly have to
deal with such microaggressions. However, for the most part, she lets those
things roll off of her back with a simple response to those who wonder how she could
possibly be athletic and why.
In chapter 22 as she discusses her Georgia Jewel 35M
race experience, one of the things she highlights is the early race sanity
check. Shortly after the race starts, someone always asks, "why are we doing
this again?" and another person responds, "Because we can." Because we can. Because
her body is strong, agile, and capable. Because in her view, bodies are not
made to be stagnate, but to move. This experience stuck with her and has been a
defining part of her identity as an athlete as well as one of the many reasons
why she chooses to run to begin with.
Valerio's advice, written as a list with 10 tips, begins
and ends with acknowledging what your body can do. Beginning with embracing the
title of athlete, she pushes us to reflect on how far our bodies have brought
us to this point and use that as a springboard for what they are capable of
with some practice. In the middle are practical steps for getting us to
exercise—having a mantra to repeat in hard moments, physically putting on the
workout clothes, documenting the journey to share with friends for
accountability. By the end of the list, she urges us to get out there in
whatever form of sport or exercise suits us best, but this time as athletes,
because we can.
Discussion Questions:
1) Which
of Valerio's "10 steps to become a Fatass Badass Athlete" resonate most with
you?
2) In
what ways can we create an environment in the world of sports in general, but
also specifically in the running world that prioritizes body positivity and is
inclusive of people of all shapes and sizes?