Leaving On A Jet Plane

I'm flying out to Boston tomorrow where I will meet up with my running partner and friend since college, Miss Shawna. We'll be running the marathon together on Monday. Shawna is a rockstar runner in every sense of the word. She is diligent about her training, even when it entails an 8 mile run after working a 12 hour day on her feet as a nurse. Simply Amazing.

Speaking of strong women, it is interesting to note that The Boston Marathon didn't officially allow women to participate until 1972. Katherine Switzer was the first woman to "unofficially" complete the race in 1967 when she signed up as K.V. Switzer. It took another 5 years to convince the (male) race directors that a woman's uterus would not fall out during a 26.2 mile run. Katherine describes her start as a pioneer in women's running:

"When I was twelve years old I wanted to be a cheerleader. Like many pre-pubescent girls I thought if I were a cheerleader I would be popular and boys would ask me out and I would end up dating the captain of the football team. When I told my dad of my aspiration he looked at me and said, 'You don't want to be a cheerleader. That's silly. Life is for participating not spectating."

Thanks, Katherine.