Drop that pack and run around!

 When I run, I feel empowered, bigger and my favorite...not puny.  Running makes average gals like me feel like athletes.  I was reminded of this when a friend admitted that she didn't feel like an athlete before she started running regularly (FYI, she's one tough, athletic cookie). I realized something about all runners, especially women.  We all carry our own burdens throughout our days.

 I think of these burdens as packs.  Some packs are huge, as if they're carrying an elephant otherwise known as a 'chip on your shoulder'.

Other people seem to float through life with a day pack, these are the easy going people we all envy.


Everyone has a pack; a few thoughtless statements in our childhood causing a whole lifetime of self criticism, jobs taking more than time--all that pressure and criticism can pull on our hearts.  Then there's our families;  with all the wonderful things that husbands, kids and aging parents bring, it's still pressure to our lives.  Throw in the inevitable: school troubles, illness, death, money and plain disagreements and you've got yourself a pack that shrinks and grows regularly.

For me, running is a time to put down my pack.  Out on a run, it's only my expectations.  I'm not discouraged by expectations, politics or the roles people expect.  So, I say run on! There's plenty of time for carrying around that pack.

 Picasso's Women Running in the Sand  
(But, keep your boobies covered!-- I have been waiting to use this image! )