When professional runners Stephanie Rothstein Bruce and her husband Ben decided to have children, Bruce decided to take a break in her training for her first pregnancy. The 32-year-old started the Instagram hashtag #journeywithsteph to keep her friends and followers updated on the reality of being a pro runner and a mom at the same time. Today, the couple have two sons who are 21 months and 6 months old. Bruce is currently training for the Olympics, hoping to qualify to run the 10,000m race as part of Team USA. And her Instagram posts are encouraging other women. 
 
 “Not many elite pro runners stop their careers to have babies and I decided to take a break to have a child in between Olympic cycles,” Bruce tells SELF in an email. “It’s a journey not talked about very publicly as many women see elite runners as these superhuman women with super fit bodies and sometimes can’t relate.” 
 
 Bruce’s Instagram posts are honest and totally inspiring. One recent photo shows her stomach and insanely strong legs, and in the caption she shared how she feels about her body and how proud she is of what it can do. 
 
 When I look down I see stretch marks that are here to stay, ab muscles that need continued strengthening, legs that are powerful, and feet that are ready to fly! #trackseason #timetofly #flystyle A photo posted by Stephanie Rothstein Bruce (@stephrothstein) on Mar 16, 2016 at 10:51am PDT 
 
 Bruce says that while many other women are juggling athletic careers with motherhood, she felt that it was important to share the not-so-pretty side of her own experiences. For example, Bruce experienced diatstisis recti—a separation of the abdominal muscles—during pregnancy, and has worked hard to regain core strength. 
 
 “Going through pregnancy and childbirth was very humbling and I felt that not many women… shared the real and raw part of it,” Bruce says. “I can run 5:20 pace for a half marathon, but I still pee my pants, have diatstisis recti, stretch marks, and other postpartum issues. I share this so moms and soon-to-be moms know you can still get back to your athletic self, have big goals, be a mom, have imperfections, don’t be embarrassed by them, and have confidence in yourself.” 
 
 In another recent post, Bruce shared that she came in second place in her first National Championship since having her kids, and felt like she had “won her own race.” 
 
 “Coming back from pregnancy has been extremely humbling, embarrassing at times, but extremely rewarding,” she wrote. “Not many women I raced today were pumping breast milk pre race. But it can be done. I hope more pro runner ladies don’t wait for their careers to end to have babies. I hope runner mamas everywhere find belief and stength and humor in their post baby comeback. I hope men runners aren’t weirded or grossed out by the realities of a mom runner. Because the mom strength and power is real ya’ll.” 
 
 Bruce says that she’s received a lot of positive feedback. 
 
 “The comments I receive have been inspiring and encouraging and keeps me pushing through some challenging days as I’m raising 2 babies and trying to make the 2016 Olympic Team,” she says. 
 
 Check out her amazing Instagram account here. 

 Olympic Hopeful and Mom of 2 Who Suffered Abdominal Split During Pregnancy Shares Photos of Post-Baby Belly 
 
 When I look down I see stretch marks that are here to stay, ab muscles that need continued strengthening, legs that are powerful, and feet that are ready to fly! #trackseason #timetofly #flystyle A photo posted by Stephanie Rothstein Bruce (@stephrothstein) on Mar 16, 2016 at 10:51am PDT 
 
 #keepinitreal doing side planks. The strength and stability is coming back steadily but the appearance of abs and stretch marks remains the same. The not so glamorous part of getting strong post baby. #takeitinside #journeywithsteph #diastasisrecti A photo posted by Stephanie Rothstein Bruce (@stephrothstein) on Jan 21, 2016 at 7:05pm PST 
 
 #7weekspostpartum I can stick 3 fingers in between my 2 ab walls. But it's not about ascetics it's about functionality. Here you go for those who have been curious and asked about my Diastasis Recti: "My abs are separated contemplating divorce" blog up on my website. Link in profile. #journeywithsteph A photo posted by Stephanie Rothstein Bruce (@stephrothstein) on Nov 12, 2015 at 4:16pm PST 
 
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 Elite athletes: they're just like us.Sure, they may spend their days running and weight training for hours, consuming thousands of nutritious calories, and sprint 5:30 minute miles for an entire marathon, but many Olympic runners are also moms, and end up with the same post-baby bellies as the average person.That's what Olympic hopeful Steph Rothstein Bruce is showing in her relatable Instagram posts as she documents her training.After giving birth to two babies within 15 months of each other, Bruce's stomach is covered in stretch marks that she says , "are here to stay!" And instead of hiding them, she proudly posts pictures of her post-baby belly to show that even professional athletes have to work for their fitness postpartum."#keepinitreal doing side planks. The strength and stability is coming back steadily but the appearance of abs and stretch marks remains the same. The not so glamorous part of getting strong post baby," Bruce captions one photo of her stomach.She also has diastasis recti , which means her abs have separated during pregnancy, and even months postpartum she can stick her fingers deep into her stomach."#7weekspostpartum I can stick 3 fingers in between my 2 ab walls," Bruce writes in another post . "But it's not about ascetics it's about functionality. Here you go for those who have been curious and asked about my Diastasis Recti: 'My abs are separated contemplating divorce.' "To rebuild her ab strength, Bruce is diligent about doing core work to improve her running. And while training after having two kids is tough, she's proud of her hard work."I wanted to savor this moment in the finishing stretch, freeze time and look back over the last 2 years with having kids: the months of sleep deprivation, hours of corrective exercises and pelvic/core work, bouts of mastitis, poop my pants runs, bladder incontinence, and the days of questioning is it all worth it and will it ever come back to me? Hell yes it’s worth it!" she writes of her first US Championship race postpartum.And her followers are loving her honesty, with fans thanking her for keeping it real rather than glossing over how tough the months after a baby can be."Coming back from pregnancy has been extremely humbling, embarrassing at times, but extremely rewarding," Bruce captions a photo of her second-place finish at the US 15k Championship. "I hope runner mamas everywhere find belief and stength and humor in their post baby comeback. Because the mom strength and power is real ya'll."
– Six months ago, professional runner Stephanie Rothstein Bruce gave birth to a baby boy—her second in 15 months, Self reports. Now she's rocking her stretch marks proudly as she trains with the goal of representing Team USA at the Olympics while simultaneously inspiring thousands of women on Instagram. “It’s a journey not talked about very publicly as many women see elite runners as these superhuman women with super fit bodies and sometimes can’t relate," the 32-year-old from Arizona says. On her Instagram, Bruce is chronicling what she calls "the not so glamorous part of getting strong post baby." "When I look down I see stretch marks that are here to stay, ab muscles that need continued strengthening, legs that are powerful, and feet that are ready to fly," she posts. Self calls Bruce's Instagram "honest and totally inspiring" (great examples of that here and here). "I felt that not many women … shared the real and raw part of" pregnancy and childbirth, Bruce tells the magazine. “I can run 5:20 pace for a half marathon, but I still pee my pants, have diatstisis recti (a separation of the abdominal muscles), stretch marks, and other postpartum issues." According to People, Bruce wants to show women that even professional athletes don't have perfect bodies after pregnancy. "I hope more pro runner ladies don't wait for their careers to end to have babies," Bruce posted after placing second in a major race last week. "I hope runner mamas everywhere find belief and strength and humor in their post baby comeback … Because the mom strength and power is real y'all." (This mom's photo of her post-baby body went viral, too.)