Today I ran in the Esprit de She 10k down at Cherry Creek in Denver. I had planned on putting together a race report for everyone- I even went around taking extra pictures of all the great vendor tents and other fun activates at the starting line. I was going to share my experience with the world!
But, as the race began and I got out onto the course, my music-less mind wandered to another topic.
As I was pushing through the first mile in the scorching “mile closer to the sun” of Denver I started thinking about the race that I was taking a part of.
The 10k was run by 136 women- and the 5k was run by 279 women. All women- awesome women. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and ladies who just needed to get out there and DO something.
I started to think of the value of events like this, where only women are invited to participate. There are so many good things that races of this nature display, I could talk about them all day. Today I’ll just scratch the surface.
While men are also awesome, women are just wired different. While most men are designed with X+Y=Z mentality, our races are run with emotion and heart. We are mind, body, and soul- and we leave it all out there on the course, for everyone to see.
I think that women are involved with events like The Esprit de She, we play off each other in a way that is unique. When we see another woman succeed at her goal and have a victory, we glean hope and encouragement, that maybe we can do it, too! We see them accomplish things that are in our reach, because they have been where we are, and maybe we just needed to see another person just like us reach their dream.
Likewise, when we see another woman fall short, we feel for them. Our hearts break when a sister is hurting. It drives us to keep going. It reminds us that we are human and are in a constant state of change. We look at that woman, and we feel the need to look at our own journey and push harder. We all have the potential to fall. I’ve seen it so many times- our friend, who we don’t even know, needs help and we run to her aid and cheer her on. Because if she lifts her head up- we do, too.
Looking around today I saw moms running with their daughters, friends running with other friends, women running solo- no music, watch, or anything (I call it Zen running. I envy them). All of us were putting in the same miles. We were fighting the same fight and toppling the same challenges.
I hope that all of those women out there today look back and realize that while women can be fierce competitors, we do not have to be in competition with each other. We can love and support each other in an environment that is positive and encouraging. I hope everyone today looks back at what they did and remembers that they are a part of a long line of women who are strong and have immeasurable value.
Today we all showed that we can bring a picture of grace and grit to a sport that pushes our minds as much as our bodies.
Today, as a sisterhood, we conquered the world. Together.
Hammi: Bacon-Fueled Fitness 