Blood of the Dragon

So since starting this blog, I feel like I had often had to defend women, especially women in athletics in some way. For example, around the Olympics I wrote the post about how women were being covered in the media. I have also blogged about a man who laughed at me when I told him I was trying to purchase BCAA's at GNC. I have blogged about being yelled at from men out of car windows as I was running. I've heard everything from "Run faster you fat, fluffy bitch" to "Look at your boobs bounce!" Yes, I wish I was kidding. I have blogged about a woman I follow Run, Selfie, Repeat being told she should care more about losing weight and stop using it as a crutch in an email from a stranger.

Now, a coach from my team has been called out for an outfit she wore to complete a half marathon.

The picture above is Laurah Lukin who actually won second place in this half marathon. After these comments were deleted, the man continued to comment on other pictures, then posted about the situation on his Facebook saying that just because women were offended didn't mean they were right. Please read Laurah's blog here to learn about here reaction. 

I don't want to spend time hating on this guy, because he is frankly not worth the time. 

The thing is, it's easy to tell each other to ignore it. It's easy to tell our fellow women to let the comments roll off their back. However, the truth is that these comments hurt and put us on edge. When men yell at me from their cars, I start doubting myself in my own head. It's hard to focus on running because I am instead focusing on myself and how I am being perceived. I also get nervous and find myself looking over my shoulder to make sure the car has left. The problem is not with women, the problem is with how our society views women.  This is why I will continue to post blogs like this. This is why I will continue to be a Girls on the Run Coach, which works to teach girls self esteem and confidence. This is why I will continue to post photos of myself after a long run or a hard workout. 

The other news about our society, that just so happens to be good, is that women seem to be stronger than ever. I know so many amazing women that are out there every day kicking ass and continuing to push themselves every day. These women are strong and beautiful. The job of changing the conversation is in our hands. The job of ending sexism is in our hands. 

If you are a woman who kicks ass, continue to put yourself out there no matter who tries to stand in your way. Focus on your inner strength and outer strength. Focus on all you have done to get where you are now.

You are strong.

Hold that thought close to you knowing that nobody can take it away. 

You are strong. 

“I am the blood of the dragon. I must be strong. I must have fire in my eyes when I face them.” 

― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

A Half Time That Scares Me

I've been gone for awhile now from the blog world, and every off season I think I'm finished with the blog. Then when the season starts, I end up having a lot on my mind and thinking that I should share with people the craziness that my brain goes through when I'm training.

First off, I'm in a new running group through Beyond Exercise. When our fearless leader, Rick, decided to leave our old group an start a brand new venture, many of us followed him. So although I'm with a new group, a lot of the people are the same and I'm enjoying the more social aspect that a small business brings to the table. Today we even had a party with beer, mimosas, chocolate milk, bagels, music, and shopping!

Second, I'm training for my 4th half marathon. Half marathons have actually become something that seem fun to me, but then I had to go and ruin it by trying to push my pace. In the fall, I will attempt to run a 2 hour half marathon. This means my pace will have to be a consistent 9:09 per mile. That is crazy fast for me! At the moment, I honestly can't remember the pace of my first three half marathons. I know they have to be somewhere on this blog. I want to say my first was in the 2:40 range. Something I do know is that I have gotten consistently faster with each race, making my fastest half marathon 2 hours and 8 minutes. So I know that 8 minutes may not seem like a lot to shave off, but running that pace was very challenging for me. That to me means I had already shaved off at least 30 minutes from previous races. It was honestly a surprise that I was able to finish it in that time. I know I've said before multiple times that I want to challenge myself, but as the season started, my runs were complete garbage trash. I now think I need to give myself more credit and realize that the heat and humidity play a huge role in this, but at the time we started I was becoming very discouraged. I was getting out of breath quickly and felt like I couldn't keep up. I was always falling back and then doubting my abilities. The good news is, my past 2 runs have felt much more doable. Hmmmm....and it has been slightly cooler and less humid!

This season I want to try and keep my confidence up whether the runs are good or bad. I want to not be afraid of the 2:00 half marathon, but instead try and conquer it head on. For those of you along for the journey, I'll try not to say the same story I've said for the past year, but in reality it will probably be a series of whines and triumphs as usual!