Sorry, Boys

“You Chicked Us!”

Huh?  I was confused at first when a group of older, male triathletes approached me after I pulled seven-minute miles out of my non-training, novice rear end several years ago when I agreed to run the 10K leg of the Kiawah Island Triathlon on my employer’s corporate team.  It was probably the first time I ever really raced (I couldn’t let down my team!), but it was obviously the first time I ever heard the “Chicked” expression and learned that men liked women passing them on the race course just about as much as they enjoyed asking for directions.

It wasn’t fair really.  In fact, I thought the men were saying I tricked them, and I guess I did because I didn’t complete the entire triathlon so they really shouldn’t have felt bad about a little, 24-year-old girl bee-bopping by them.  

However, a few years later and a little bit faster, I have already passed my share of boys fair and square.  And I can’t help but feel a little bad about it sometimes.  I just know I have broken some spirits late in races.  But what can you say as you speed by?  It’s not you.  It’s me?

And it’s not just when I’m fortunate enough to have a strong finish that I feel bad about sharing a course with the boys.  I also think it’s a little unfair that women naturally have so much more crowd support.  Other women love to shout out “Go girl!!” but never have I heard them return the favor to a guy amongst a group of girls – and if they did, I’m afraid I may feel even more sorry for the guy.

But before I go giving the race away, I have to say that there are several ways that the boys come out ahead that really tick me off. 

First and perhaps the most obvious, the fastest boy is faster than the fastest girl.  Note that I do not say that boys are faster than girls because I believe that many girls including myself have proved that we can beat out the majority of the boys that come to the same starting line as we.  But still, I have yet to come to peace with the fact that women got shafted on some fast-twitch muscles. 

Secondly, almost always the leader of a race is male.  You know, I would kinda like to see how it feels to lead a race and not just be first-place female, but that may be an experience I may never have because I am a girl. 

And lastly, I really get pissed when I read about the “winner” of a race or the top finishers and there is no mention of any ladies.  It’s as if the reporters feel there is no need to even mention the name of the fastest woman because she was not the “winner” – only the first finisher of the slower sex.

I also often times forget that women are actually fairly new to the sport of distance running.  1984 was the first year that there was even a women’s marathon at the Olympics!  And women were not allowed to officially run the Boston Marathon until 1972.  It took brave women like Bobbi Gibb, who hid in the bushes at the 1966 starting line before sneaking in to the race and becoming the first female finisher, and Kathrine Switzer, who became the first official female finisher but only because she registered for the 1967 race as K. V. Switzer, in order for officials to let the girls in the race.

So maybe I shouldn’t worry about crushing some boys’ spirits or feel guilty about the extra crowd support.  I am definitely motivated to keep moving with all the “Run Girl!”s!  But what I really love and what touches my heart more that any motivational poster possibly could is when I hear a little girl’s voice, like I did about a week ago coming from the side of the Boston Marathon course, excitedly shouting, “There’s a girl!”   In those moments, I am reminded that my race is about more than myself – I am showing young girls that women belong on the race course, and we can in fact run with the boys and on some days perhaps even chick a few.

5 Weeks till Running!  And 1 Week till No Crutches!

I may have hit a new low this week – While trying to “walk” my dog (you can only imagine what it’s like to balance on one leg while holding on to an 85-pound golden retriever with one hand and picking up her poo with the other), a homeless man on a park bench in downtown Wilmington said, “What happened to you?!”  After I explained, his response was “Don’t worry.  It’ll get better.”  Great.  Even a homeless man feels sorry for me.

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Flying Dog’s Snake Dog IPA  (Needed an old fav comfort beer after Boston)

You know what else women can do in addition to running marathons?  Plant grass!  I spent all last summer killing off the weeds & ivy that had overtaken the backyard of my foreclosure purchase.  Then, I planted grass last fall (shady blend from Lowes), and now I can enjoy my IPAs on my back porch while looking at real grass!  I still have a lot to do in the yard, but it has come a long ways!  Check out the before and after pics!

Before

Before

After