Women's History Month

Happy Women's History Month!

I'm going to try to feature some awesome women in history on the Little Pink Blog this month. Tonight, I'm starting with Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. I choose her today because she was a trailblazer...but also because she's an inspiration to me as a runner.

Source: Kathrine Switzer's official page (linked above).

A week or two ago, at the gym, I was taking a 70-pound dumbbell off the rack to do some dead lifts. To lift it with just my arms is difficult. I definitely have more lower-body strength than I do upper-body strength, which is fairly typical for women. Dead lifting 70 pounds is not too difficult for me, but carting 70 pounds around is.

In lifting and struggling with the weight, I noticed a man nearby smiling at me. "How cute," his expression seemed to say, "that little lady struggling to lift a heavy dumbbell." I wanted to scream. I wanted to wipe the silly grin off his face. Yes, I was struggling to carry that weight, but a few minutes later, I was dead lifting it like a boss, because dead lifts involve using the legs--and I have some strong legs.

But I digress. Kathrine Switzer was physically attacked by a race official for daring to run the Boston Marathon, previously a man-only event. He was so outraged that a woman would dare to run his race, that he got out there and tried to force her off the course. Fortunately, her fellow runners were not so unenlightened, and they, in turn, pushed the official away from Switzer. She finished the marathon, and proved that women can hang with the guys any time.

And so can I--in the weight area and beyond.