Tales of a Former Athlete

I used to be pretty badass. It may seem cocky but I really was a great athlete when I was younger. From the age of four, I was in one form of dance or another, and then I came across boxing at 15. It has been ten years to the day that I had my first fight and I cannot help reminiscing. Maybe I started it just because I wanted to break the mold of the ballerina. Like those little snobby kids do now on that show Made on MTV. Maybe just to piss off my parents, but I found a center and a self-confidence that most people will never find.

It sounds brutish, even barbaric to say that you found some inner peace breaking some guy’s face, but there is more to boxing then that. It is about the training, and conditioning. It’s about pushing an undeveloped body into the state of adulthood. Mostly it was about enforcing one’s will. It was having a will at a time when I was being told to acquiesce to everything.

When I danced people looked at me, people judge what I did and did not do. I had to fill in a mold that was beyond perfection and unattainable. When I boxed the power moved outside of me. It wasn’t about others people’s opinion, it was about my own conquest. I learned the valuable lesson that 50% of any fight is mental. Being one of three girls in a countywide amateur division, many times we had to fight boys. If I were afraid of the way they looked or how strong they were, I would loose hands down. If I remembered that they were more afraid to loose to me then I am of loosing to them, I won.

Most women never learn to fight, physically or mentally, they learn to please, I am no exception. The world of boxing wasn’t 100% for me either, but I pulled out of the sweat and blood something really special. It has been four years since I left boxing and at first I was happy to have the free time away from it. Gone are the days of 5 am workouts and broken noses. However, gone to, are the days of victory and glory, of pushing to see just how much I wanted something. It was a rite of passage, and I am happy I did it. Maybe it is time to go back.

Are Marathons too Egalitarian?

I love everything about road races, especially marathons. I love the expos at big races, the fanatical pre-race rituals, even the grueling hours of training put in before the race. Big races, little community races, I don’t care I love them all.

I have this passion for it for the same reason as most other runners I met. It makes me different. I jog around the block because it’s good for me and clears my head, but training for a race gives me a structure and routine I haven’t had since high school. It becomes your “Thing”, the adjective that the folks at the office identify you as, “Do you know Dave, you know Marathon Dave”. I like being part of a community, but I know my place in the community. I’m not an elite athlete, I’m not going to be setting PBs in New York.

With the aftermath of the Chicago Marathon and the Army 10-Mile Run in Arlington, Va., a few weeks earlier, it got me thinking. Are marathons too egalitarian now? Have we opened up the running world to the point that people could put their lives in danger trying to not only be part of the community but the elites? I am far from the race snobs that feel only people that can qualify for the Olympics should race. I’m concerned that as a community we’re not helping those that do not have the skills or training from hurting themselves. I ran a half marathon in 3:34:02. Thirty years ago, they wouldn’t have let me run in Boston with those kind of numbers. Really its just a matter of statistics, with 40,000 people running in New York (by the way this race has a population four times the size of my home town) statistically X amount of runners will be ill prepared physically and more important mentally to run the race.

I have always said runners run for themselves but we race together. There is something very solitary about running and that’s part of the appeal, but maybe we should be investing more time contributing to the connectivity of the running community and not just drawing a sense of self away from it. Some times that may mean some tough love.

Why Ann Coulters is a Nut Bag

I don't like calling people names, but she started it! I didn't say anything when she insisted on dressing like a high priced lady of the night. When she called 9/11 widows harpies, I kept my opinion to myself. But the Donny Deutsch interview was my last straw. Saying that Jews are bound by laws they can never keep and Christians are perfected Jews because they accepted that a Jesus died for them is just too far. The scariest thing as Deutsch pointed out was that she did not see the comment as offensive. I always assumed that she was putting on a good show, but she got caught off guard by Deutsch admitting to being a practising Jew and the true colors showed. i believe in free speech and anyone can get on the tube and make a fool of themselves or belittle their own beliefs, but no where in the constitution does it say that I have to be nice to them. Its on Ann, oh its on. If you haven't seen the episode I'm speaking of please check it out at Donny Deutsch
Please feel free to disagree and leave comments of opinions.

Women's Health Magazines- Just Vogue with Sneakers On

Crossing the Gender Line-Well With Magazines Anyway

So I have a pretty cool job. I get paid to do what most of you do for free. As a full time blogger and online marketing director, I get to peruse around the Internet looking for stuff that relates to my brand and shuffle through magazines looking for interesting tidbits to use. Now I work for a athletically inclined company so all of the magazines I get are heath oriented.

99% of people keep their magazine choices gender specific. The girls go with the girl mag the boys with the boys. We keep it as separated as high school bathrooms, and it feels almost as naughty to sneak a peek into the covers of the "others". In fact I know many men that feel the secret to understanding woman is peeking at their girlfriends zines when she's not looking. One thing I found surprising was the amount of space devoted to non-health issues in woman's magazines. If you read the guys its pretty straight up. There may be an article of two about grooming, or sex (which we can argue is an athletic activity) but most of the mag is exercise, injury and nutrition.

In the girl magazines there are huge sections devoted to makeup, perfume, fashion, even parenting tips. Now I've been a subscriber to French Vogue since I was 15, and there is no better guilty pleasure than a warm bath, some aromatherapy candles and a good glossy high fash mag. As far as getting the job done for heath magazines, though, I'd love to see less about lip gloss and more about the unique health and exercise concerns of women. I don't want to hear about Posh Spice's new fragrance, I want to read about Venus Williams, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Cheryl Miller, and Cynthia Cooper just to name a few. Woman's magazines your on notice pick a side fitness or fashion