Why Does A Woman Run?

Just for kicks, this morning I put on a pair of my favorite old jeans – the ones with the button up front that used to be uncomfortably tight when I sat down.

I remember hanging them up in the back of my closet about 4 years ago, absolutely sure that I would never be able to wear them again. As I slid my old jeans on and began buttoning up the front I had to laugh. There is room in them now for at least another half-me. Now I can only wear these jeans for lounging around the house – they kind of fall off when I walk and I can pull them off without unbuttoning them.

To say that I started running to lose weight would be inaccurate. I have been thin for most of my life and throughout my early adult years, an unfortunate relationship with cigarettes helped keep the weight off. Just like the addict that I am, I have fallen “off the wagon” and stopped running a few times over the past 20 years – but I always go back. But, it’s not because of weight gain. Somehow, the act of running has become as much a part of my life as well, breathing air. I could no more live without my morning run than breathe underwater. When I am not running, there are sheets thrown over the mirrors, a pall falls over my mood, a best friend is gone.

There has been an awful lot written about the “addictive” nature of running. Some say its chemical; others say it’s psychological. I say, “Does it really matter?” Once you’re hooked on this sport, you’re hooked. Forget about rehabilitation, it’s over for you baby. You’re a runner. Be prepared for the question “How do you stay so thin?” and the exclamation, “I can’t believe you’re going to eat THAT!” You will simply smile. In your heart, you know that’s not why you get up every morning at 5:30, but no one else has to.

Now, I guess I probably spend more time than a lot of women thinking about running. I easily devote 25+ hours a week researching topics on the subject, plus related information such as nutrition, stretching, cross-training, racing, gear for runners, etc. I also spend time writing about running, corresponding with other runners, managing the technical aspects of 2 running-related websites – and quite frankly, spend a lot more time thinking about what else I can do, given my time and budget limitations, to get more women interested in and enthusiastic about our sport.

I spend my time doing this and receive no monetary compensation – this from a woman that makes her living charging for her time. Many of you reading this may do the same. You may volunteer your time coaching a girl’s track team, or training for a race to raise money to fund breast cancer research, or blogging about your own experience of running and how it’s changed your life. Clearly, it’s not about money.

Every runner knows that this is much too hard to simply be about losing weight, or raising money (no matter how altruistic your are) –or even simply abut getting fit. From the time you decide to get off the couch to the moment you cross the finish line of your 32nd marathon, running will challenge your body, your spirit and your mind. Running will vex you and cause you to ask such questions as “Why the hell am I doing this?” or “Whatever made me think I should enter this race?” and “Why am I not on my couch right now watching Project Runway eating a Klondike Bar?”

I think about this a lot lately as I observe sedentary women my age (or younger!) grow wide around the middle and complain about their weight, menopause, depression and physical decline. I am not being critical. I am being grateful. Whatever divine providence sent the notion to start running my way all those years ago probably saved my life – or at least saved me from a middle age filled with physical complaints and pharmaceutical drugs. Me – I’ve got nothing wrong with me that 10 minutes with a bag of frozen peas won’t cure.

So why do we do it? Oh! It’s a million little things. It’s the nod of recognition received from another runner passing by. It’s the way the male joggers quickly move out of the way when we’re trying to pass. It’s the instant connection we make when we see someone in the grocery store wearing a t-shirt from the same marathon we did last year. It’s the quiet memories of running in new fallen snow, or the summer storm that came up suddenly and cooled off our steaming hot bodies. It’s a lifetime of memories and an inner-knowing that what we dream, we can make happen if we just find it within ourselves to take that first step forward. It’s about strong hearts and strong legs and a clear mind, and knowing what the sunrise looked like this morning.

We are runners! We are women! Its just plain cool…and that’s enough for me.

• Currently 4.7/5 Stars.