Amy Lu's View

I’m a runner. 

Nothing too exciting or revelatory there, as I talk, post and blog incessantly about running. Still, accepting that identity was a process, as I had to wrestle with questions of if I ran fast enough, or seriously enough, to claim the “runner” label. 

I’m a runner, and I think anyone who runs–whatever that looks like for them–and wants to say they are a runner, is a runner. 

But am I “in sports?” 

This is the question I’m pondering on Women in Sports Day (I’m not questioning if I’m a woman, although I support folks who are questioning or reconsidering what that means). 

“Sports” suggests a level of competitiveness and organization that I don’t think apply to me. But, since I got an email from Twin Cities in Motion (which I’m affiliated with from running the TC Marathon and other races) wishing me a “Happy Girls & Women in Sports Day” I guess I won’t be too much of an imposter if I embrace my Sporty Spice persona.

I’ve thought (and blogged) a lot about running, so today I want to focus on the value of running (sports) for women, girls, and anyone who’s felt that being physically active wasn’t for them. As someone who spent most of their youth feeling mostly fear and loathing for physical activity, I’m so grateful that I finally discovered that running is an option for me. 

I’m still super self-conscious about participating in group sports and demonstrating how uncoordinated and awkward I am. Just this weekend I shared an elementary school memory of hitting a student teacher in the head with a softball on Track and Field Day, and I don’t think my “sports skills” have improved since then. But at least now I have some appreciation for my body as something more than just the vehicle for transporting my brain from place to place. 

My body is also useful for wearing my racing medals.