Why Girls Run With the DRC and My Job As a Pace Leader

I'm starting to learn some things about girls as I continue to pace lead.

(I sent this note to my neighbor this morning and thought it was pretty good, so I thought I'd share it here, too, for others.)

Good morning, neighbor.

If you don't read Kristin Armstrong's blog, I think you would like it: http://milemarkers.runnersworld.com/. She is a runner, like you, trying to juggle being a good mom and a good runner. Kelly reads this blog and gives me updates. I used to read it on a regular basis, but the more I read it, the more I realized she was writing this for women and not for me, and I felt like I was eavesdropping on girlfriends' conversations, so I stopped.

Kristin has a book I bought for Kelly -- if you like her blog, you'll like her book. Let me know, and you can borrow it. I started reading it, too. It's an inspirational book, for women, written by a runner, but I thought I might pick up some tidbits in there myself. So, I started reading it one morning, not moving Kelly's bookmark. Being sneaky. Turned my cup of coffee over on it the first morning. Gaaa! Had to confess. I kept reading, but after a couple of days, I felt like I was eavesdropping on a girlfriends' conversation again, so I stopped.

One thing pace leading has taught me over the years is that moms and wives and daughters and girlfriends come out to run with the DRC to have some girlfriends time. They're not coming out to run with the guys. Oh, guys are out there, too, but it's been my experience that the girls come out to have some time for themselves as women -- some time away from the responsibilities of being a mom and/or wife and/or daughter or girlfriend.

So, I've learned that my job as pace leader is to keep us on pace and on route (heaven help us!), to offer encouragement, to share inspiration when I can find it, but to otherwise stay back and out of the way and let you all have your girlfriends time. That's usually how our long runs go -- we all stick together, but the girls are in their little running pods having their conversations, enjoying each other, the running, the mornings. That's the experience of running with the 3:90 marathon training group, and I hope that maybe you will be able to work it out to run with us this fall.

We guys are just along for a little comic relief, and to shoo off dogs and strangers. And, to bake.

Have a good day, neighbor!