Lady runners

My Saturday group had another of its lovely runs on Saturday, this time revisiting familar ground at the Cotter Reserve. The group split into two at the start with some opting for a longer 24 km course, and others preferring a shorter 19 kms. It was long and tough no matter which starting point we chose.

The Cotter is simply a wonderul place for running. The trails seemingly go on forever and on Saturday we even had the blessing of a river crossing to contend with (below left). I swear the water in that river was piped direct from the snow country. It was that cold.

The Cotter is not an easy run. Yet, clearly as a group we are getting fitter and faster. As far as I could tell there was not a complaint to be heard about the run itself. Everyone just got in there and did it.

I don't know what it is about the Cotter but I seem to lose myself out there a bit and I came back reflecting on the qualities of women runners, who make up the majority in our group.

Women bring many gifts to this world, not least their intelligence, their intuition, their sensuality, their capacity for feeling and nurture. The ladies of the running world bring all this to running. And they bring more.

I delight in the watching the elite of this world, be they Kerry McCann or Norma "Lucky Legs" Wallet. At the other end of the spectrum are those members of the elite who never make the newspapers but are special just the same.

It's women who can teach us guys a new way of seeing beauty in the world. Think of the exqusite delight of the statue of Venus. This incredible sculpture is one way of seeing beauty. Yet then again look at the ladies in our group. They come with different backgrounds and approaches to this wonderful sport of ours, but all are incredibly fit and are equipped with levels of strength, grace, and enthusiasm that are beyond my words to describe.

I think that perhaps more than us males, running for women is simply a means to an end. Ladies love to run for the fitness and competition that running brings. But it seems to me they run - in stronger tones than us males - for the pleasure of sharing the experience with friends, new and old. I have heard so many times from my lady friends, "I only run for the coffee afterwards". Which I think is code for "I love running because it helps me bond more with my friends".

Running helps us get in touch with our feelings as perhaps few sports do - it helps us map our emotional countours. I just loved the following few words about one of the oldest emotions known to humanity:

"Love doesn't happen in an instant. It creeps up on you and then it turns your life upside-down. It colours your waking moments and fills your dreams. You begin to walk on air and see life in brilliant new shades. But it also brings with it a sweet agony, a delicious torture. It reduces one life to feverish meetings and pining in between." (Q and A, by Vikas Swarup)

If it wasn't for the female of the species we wouldn't be able to say such a thing. If it wasn't for the female runners of this world we wouldn't be able to say such a thing. And if it wasn't for the beautiful (in all its forms) women I have come across through my running that I would be able to say such a thing. Women give insight into what love in this world really means, whether it be in the capacity of one human to love another, a love of running, or a love of life itself.