Streaking in the quad

Five years ago yesterday I stepped on a treadmill in Addis Ababa and ran for 30 minutes. I was cooped up in a hotel and needed to move. I was also conducting research with Ethiopian girl runners (Girls Gotta Run) and felt lazy about how little I was running.

Turns out I was on to something. I've run every day since.

I never set out to run every day, but now I can't function without a morning shakeout. I run before I go to the gym and I'll run before my swim race this weekend. Might as well.

The lessons I've learned from the power of being consistent astound me. Most importantly, I have come to value the need for me to move. I don't run to lose weight. I don't run to get fit. I run to compete in sports and in life. It's the baseline for everything else I do. I don't need to be fast, I just need to do it.

The reality is that sometimes the best part of my day is already over by 7 a.m. And that's life.

When this streak started, it was the only physical activity I was doing. I've now added field hockey, swimming, and lifting. These additional sports are possible because I run, and have also taken any burdens I put on myself to be a great runner. I'm not, and most days I'm OK with that.

Professionally, this streak has taught me the value of consistency. I don't know what the end will look like but you just keep going. My husband says I hang tough on things way longer than most people would. Maybe tomorrow's run will feel like I'm scaling Everest, or maybe it will feel as good as cruising down Boylston. Either way, that sense of purpose is incredibly important, whether it's on the job or on the run.

In My Research

"To be competitive necessitates a certain amount of desire to succeed, and confidence that one can do the job. Or at least the ability to fake it. Most of the Bekoji girls I met were athletically gifted, but unlike many of their Western counterparts, they probably had not been involved in competitive sport for most of their lives. What if they had not been selected for the opportunity to be a part of GGRF? What if their families forbade all competitive sport for them at a young age? Then what? Does that competitive drive lie dormant all their lives? Would they have channeled it into other endeavors? The thought of these girls not being able to run like they do is almost unthinkable. Their athletic bodies, their dedication, their understanding of the local terrain – they were born to run." - K. Ralls, "Racing to compete: How a group of Ethiopian girls helped me get my groove back."

Take Her Word for It | Voices of Title IX

Staying active is critical for long-term health. Lucky for student athletes, we possess a distinct advantage, having developed good habits when we were kids. As a member of a high school sports team, you committed to improving yourself both physically and emotionally. You warmed up with your teammates, perfected

skills during drills, and then cooled down. You built anaerobic and aerobic fitness, and you witnessed how much better you got from the start of the season until the end.

You might have competed in two or three different sports, or maybe you committed to one year-round. For most of us, once you plugged in with a group of girls, you often joined them in other seasons.

And even though those glory days are over, you still carry the values of grit, consistency, hard work, resilience, determination, and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude." - K. Ralls, Voices of Title IX: Chelmsford High School Girl Athletes and the Women They Became.

Women's Sports History

Of course I am locked into the whole Caitlin Clark-Olympic discussion. Rebecca Lobo had the most succinct response I've seen if you're interested.

Women's basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1976, just after the U.S. men's team lost a heartbreaker in 1972. The U.S. women's team has captured gold every Olympics since 1996 - that's seven straight championships. They also won in 1984 and 1988.

As Clark put it, this is the best team in the world. I'll be rooting for them.

At KR LLC, we believe women athletes are perfectly positioned to be standout leaders.

And if you want to relive a little bit of your glory years, we’re here for that as well!