Women are better runners than men. I say this all the time: when speaking at running seminars, when interviewed on radio and TV, and especially when training with favorite female running partners. It never hurts to solidify bonds with those all-important running buddies.
Here’s what I don’t mean and do mean. I don’t mean that women are faster than men, or will eventually beat men. That’s not going to happen. Men have a physiological advantage based largely on their higher testosterone. On average, the world’s fastest men are about 10 percent faster than the fastest women.
At the same time, the best women beat 99 percent of all men. And there are lots of very fast, very strong women who excel in the mile, the marathon, and even longer race distances. Men had a substantial historical head start over women in running (and all sports), but women have been making, and continue to make, incredible strides.
They particularly shine when we look at participation levels. In 1960 there were almost no female distance runners. A decade later there were only a handful. Today, however, women make up more than half of the total running population. They have surpassed men. Given the right opportunities, they quickly embrace fitness and health habits.
That’s one reason women make better runners than men. But how did this remarkable revolution take place? It happened because women have an abundance of the talents and characteristics central to success in running: discipline, determination, goal setting, organization, time management, listening, life balance, keeping things in perspective, and understanding how small steps can lead eventually to great achievements.
These same skills also make women great mothers. And partners. And employees. And artists. And scientists. And friends. And CEOs. And much more.
I learned this for sure when researching a prior book, First Ladies of Running: 22 Inspiring Profiles of the Rebels, Rule Breakers, and Visionaries Who Changed the Sport Forever, about the pioneers who launched the women’s running boom fifty years ago. The first ladies had tremendous courage, of course. They needed it to buck regulations that prevented women from entering road races with men.
They faced a bigger barrier in the area of cultural myths. In the 1950s and 1960s, many self-proclaimed experts asserted that women who played sports would turn into mannish, muscle-bound Neanderthals. Many physicians pronounced that running long distances would damage “the female organs,” preventing future pregnancy and normal childbirth.
But the first ladies of running refused to be deterred. They felt so free and natural when running that they just knew it had to be a healthy activity. And they had dreams, just like men. They wanted to challenge themselves and learn how far they could go. It turned out to be a very great distance indeed.
Follow the recipe: One reason women excel at running is that they follow the recipe for beginning runners. Men often charge into running like the proverbial bull in a china shop. They break the rules. Testosterone gone amok leads to setbacks, injuries, and discouragement.
Women, at least in my experience, understand the value of following the guidelines and getting things right—the right proportions, the right timing, and the right recovery periods. They don’t try to set personal records every day. They focus on the long-term view.
Listen to your body: Men ignore the symptoms. Women tune into them and take appropriate action. Medical surveys have shown that women are up to three times more likely to consult a physician when something’s wrong.
In running, this kind of attentiveness and vigilance pays off over and over. Often it’s as simple as resting for three days when you feel an early ankle pain. Or taking 10 minutes to apply an ice pack to a sore knee rather than rushing out to mow the lawn.
Pair up. Double the fun: Women love to get together with their friends for what was once called a coffee klatch. Now it’s more likely a group run. And virtually nothing is more instrumental to continued running success than several trustworthy training partners.
Male of female, you can’t miss your workouts when others are waiting. There’s too much gossip to be shared. Of course, women run hard when they’re feeling competitive. They often travel together to favorite races. But on social runs, they have no trouble slowing down enough to accommodate the slowest member of their group. Women follow the “talk test” rule: run comfortably enough to carry on a normal conversation. More men should do the same.