How Paralympic triathlete Allysa Seely got that body

— -- If? Allysa Seely?could convey one thing about shedding her clothes for ESPN, it?would be that people with different abilities can compete at the highest levels of sport. "You don't need to have two legs or two arms. I just want to help promote that."

In college, Seely was diagnosed with Chiari 2 malformation, Basilar invagination and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome -- conditions that affect muscle function and the nervous system, and eventually led to the amputation of her left leg below her knee.

"Obviously the leg is the most difficult. I do have impairment in almost all of the muscles in my body. I lack something called proprioception -- that's where your brain is able to tell where your body is in space.?So when I'm walking, and especially when I'm racing and training, you'll see me look down quite frequently to make sure I know where my legs are, which leg is in front and which leg is in back. On the bike when I'm making turns I have to look down to make sure that I know which foot is up so that I don't hit my pedal on the ground."

None of these complications have stopped her from competing and they definitely did not stop her from qualifying for Rio. She sat down with ESPN The Magazine for the 2016 Body Issue to talk about her Paralympics training.

Self motivation

Seely was diagnosed and had surgery in August 2010, and all she could think about was getting back to triathlon training. Her doctors and therapists were less sure.?

"There was significant amount of pushback and hesitation. I remember being in an inpatient rehabilitation unit and being like the joke of the floor -- people, nurses, physical therapists, they were betting that if I ever walked again they would do a triathlon or if I ever did this they would do a triathlon. So being me, it was kind of disappointing. But then I was like, You know what, I'm going to do this. So I just set out to prove them wrong and get back to my life."

She competed in the triathlon collegiate nationals eight months later.

?"By no means was it the fastest race in my life, but to this day it was probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life -- crossing that finish line."

Full-time training

Once she was healthy, Seely jumped right back into what she calls her full-time job.

"I train seven days a week, and usually have one day that is a little bit easier where I just go for a recovery ride or run and then an easier swim. But I train two to three times a day and in the gym lift three times a week. I swim almost every day and then I bike and run four to five days, so my training keeps me quite busy."

Besides training for the Paralympics, Seely stays active by bouldering.

"Bouldering is similar to rock climbing but you do it all without rope. It's not straight up and down, it's over and around and under and through. There are times when you are crawling on your hands and knees."

Mental focus

Living with her medical issues, Seely says she never knows what she is going to have to deal with each morning. ?"I think the biggest challenge I face is the unpredictable nature of a neurological condition. For a lot of people all they see is my amputation, they don't see the challenges in and out of every day. Last year alone I was in the hospital for over a month throughout the year -- seeing doctors almost every week. Sometimes I have great days and other days my body just doesn't want to cooperate and doesn't want to work."

However, she does all that she can to manage whatever the day gives her.

"It's different. It's something you have to get used to. It changes. It's just another added part you have to navigate with training and racing."

This summer, espnW is running stories, essays and letters on body image as part of a series called "Love, My Body." Read more from the series ?