Why Running is
a Woman's Sport
by Kate Pophal

You may have noticed that more and more of the people you see running are women. Running is quickly becoming an activity dominated by women.

According to Amby Burfoot, the Executive Editor of Runner's World Magazine, 'By the early 2000's, 19 of the 20 largest 5k's in the United States were "women" races: 16 Race for the Cure events, 2 Revlon Run for Women races, and the Idaho Women's Fitness Celebration.'

Why are so many women running? Most women start running as a way to shed some extra pounds or to get in shape (which for most people is the same thing).

But is weight loss the only reason the jogging trails are filling up with women? It may be the reason women start running but there are other, perhaps less obvious benefits that start women running and keep them running.

Running clears your mind of unnecessary thoughts.

While running you will be free from distractions. There will be no phone calls, no emails to answer, no one to look after but yourself. It's the perfect time to plan out the rest of your day or to not think about anything at all.

Running builds confidence.

Nothing builds confidence like setting a goal and achieving it.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a women say "I never thought I could do that" after completing their first race. That pride and confidence is quickly and easily transferred to all parts of your life.

The runners high

You may have heard of this concept and thought it was just crazy talk from running fanatics but the runner's high is real. Running releases endorphins and endorphins feel good. It's that simple.

The next sentence may sound hard to believe but trust me on this one. You can crave running like you crave chocolate. Crazy but true.

You don't have to diet!

Here's another crazy concept. As I mentioned earlier most women start running to lose weight and are probably also dieting. But running uses energy and energy comes from food. You have to eat to run, the more you run, the more you eat.

Your food choices will also get better. As running becomes a more important part of your life you won't want to eat foods that will make the next day's run, how shall I say this delicately, uncomfortable.

You get to buy shoes!

Runners obsess about shoes. You may already be thinking like a runner. It gets better! The shoes will be really, really comfortable.

Running gets easier.

The more you run the easier it gets. Dieting for example, gets harder the longer you do it.

Cross training

You may find yourself exercising so you can exercise better. That's called cross training by sporty types.

Once you get hooked on running you will look for different ways to improve your running performance. Swimming, cycling, yoga, weights, you may find yourself in a vicious cycle of healthy activity.

Nature.

Running is done outside (I won't discuss how I feel about treadmills at this point). Nature is outside! Another simple one!