Running is a privilege
It was the morning before the Baltimore Running Festival and Justin and I headed out of our hotel downtown for a pre-race run. It was just to be a short jog to loosen our muscles from the nine-hour car ride the day before and to get our heart pumping.
We set out on foot toward Camden Yards and found ourselves winding through old city streets that were as full of character as they were of debris. It was trash day, and mounds of garbage were piled in front of each row home. Windows were broken in some of the homes and on this crisp autumn day I thought about the residents inside, how they must be feeling anxious about the impending winter chill.
After about two miles, we turned around and decided to run back to the hotel. As we made our way down one particularly isolated street, we were suddenly stopped by a woman carrying two large, tattered bags on her slumped shoulders. She was also pulling a rolling suitcase behind her, fumbling to keep it from toppling over as she looked behind her for her young son. She eyed him and then approached us.
“Excuse me,” she called, and we came to a halt before her. “I’m sorry to bother you, but do you know where the Greyhound station is?”
Justin and I looked at each other with sympathy on our faces, knowing that as tourists we barely knew how to get back to where we started, much less where the woman could find the bus station. We told her we were sorry, we didn’t know, and the look of desperation on her face seemed to reach inside my heart and twist it. I bit my lip.
Her young son, no more than eight years old, sidled up to me and said excitedly, “Look at my Santa Claus! He makes noise!” I listened as the strained refrain of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” came from speakers in Santa’s feet. I told the boy in an equally excited voice that how amazing I thought his worn doll, covered in dark yellow stains, was. I was secretly grateful that he seemed blissfully unaware of his mother’s stress.
But then, as his mother looked around, searching for a landmark, he said, “Mommy, I’m so tired of walking.” And then I knew that this child wasn’t oblivious to the struggle at all. He was living it.
His mother replied, “I know, baby. We’ll be there soon.” At that moment I suddenly remembered that I had carried my cell phone with me, in case of such an emergency. I pulled out my “smart phone” and searched and found directions to the Greyhound station, which was just under a mile away. The woman smiled with palpable relief.
As mother and child departed down the street, the boy looked at me and said, “Are you running?!”
When I replied that yes, I was running, he looked up at me with large, glowing eyes, and said, “That’s really cool.”
And in that moment, it hit me, like a proverbial ton of bricks. Running is a privilege.
I have spent past five months in training, each early morning bemoaning that the sun has not risen before me or that my muscles ache from the day before. I have spent countless hours calculating routes on my laptop, reading blogs to learn about optimal training schedules, and taking yoga to cross-train and build strength. I have run through beautiful forests, along rivers full of crew teams practicing, and along crowded city streets with windows full of expensive bikes and designer handbags.
What I have not done is carried everything I owned along dirty city streets, desperate to find the bus station and trying to care for my young son.
Running is a privilege.
I have been able to afford nutritious meals to fuel my body, a watch to monitor my time, and even a pair of fancy new running shoes along the way. These are luxuries. So is the physical energy I have to wake in the early morning hours to get out on the road, because I have not been up working the night shift or caring for a sick parent. And so is the mental energy I have to focus on goals and times and my next route because I have not been worried I might be fired if I take more time off to care for my spouse or about how I will feed my child.
Running is a privilege.
Perhaps it was all the build-up of gratitude inspired recently or perhaps it was a cosmic shift that was meant to happen for me, but I will never take my ability to run for granted again.
Do you see running (or other exercise) as a privilege?
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[...] Running is a privilege : Loved this post from Ashley about how many of us are privileged to even have time & energy to move our bodies… & a heaping dose of gratitude, too. [...]
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[...] and I smiled the entire time I was running. I felt so privileged to be able to run. (Click here to read an amazing post on the privilege of running.) I was full of emotion. And then I saw a [...]
thetreadmilldiaries
974 days ago
I absolutely agree with you on this. I’ve been unable to run for 2 weeks due to medical reasons and it really helped to realize how much this sport means to me and my life. As of today, I can start up again..and I can’t tell you how excited I am to do so. :)
thetreadmilldiaries recently posted..The Calm After The Storm
Christie {Honoring Health}
974 days ago
I seem to be having trouble expressing how I feel about this because I think that the lives we lead in general are privileged. I know that many people struggle to put the cheapest food possible on the table, let alone pay hundreds of dollars per year of gym memberships and fancy yoga mats (ahem). I also think about people can’t exercise because of physical conditions or diseases that prevent them from doing so.
Christie {Honoring Health} recently posted..215800
Elizabeth Jarrard
974 days ago
wow, that’s a heavy. thank you for that reminder!
lindsay
974 days ago
Its sure is the little things that life that we take for granted. Today, as I set out for my run, I will give thanks. In fact, I will give thanks everyday for the blessings in life.
Cheers,
LC
lindsay recently posted..Monday’s Motivation
Chase
974 days ago
I love this. It almost brought a tear to my eye. I had a similar revelation during the race on Saturday…just how lucky I am to be able to do this. Thanks for writing this post :)
Joslyn @ missfitbliss
974 days ago
I think it’s a very good point that we are very lucky to have the resources and time to devote to fitness.
Joslyn @ missfitbliss recently posted..Rainy Run
Jayna @ Healthy Living Bites
974 days ago
Absolutely exercise is a privilege. . . When you can realize that it makes it not a chore! Everyone’s realization comes about differently be it through seeing those less privileged or having it taken away through injury, illness, or a change in circumstance. Thank you for sharing this experience with us and giving us a dose of GRATITUDE for the ability to engage in fitness activities.
yep, I’m still mourning my lack of ability to run currently, and the loss of all my running goals for this year. . . I can’t WAIT to be able to make new fitness goals!
Jayna @ Healthy Living Bites recently posted..The word of the day is fat
Robyn
974 days ago
Ashley
Thank you for sharing this experience. Everyday I am GREATFUL for the ability to engage in fitness activities. Actually, I am grateful that my body is healthy enough to do any physical activity I want. We have several neighbors w/ MS and a family friend w/ ALS. It is awful to watch them struggle to walk; then over time see them physically not be able to walk.
Katie @ Health for the Whole Self
974 days ago
So, so true. It’s amazing how a small experience can lead to such an important revelation.
It’s reminding me of another privilege I have: the fact that I have a computer through which I can read inspiring blog posts like this one.
Teri [a foodie stays fit]
974 days ago
What a great story.
Yes, I definitely think of running and all exercise as a privilege. I’m always reminded when I’m sick or injured that I need to be more grateful for my health and strength more often. There are many people who don’t have the time, resources or health to get out and enjoy the beauty that is a run.
Teri [a foodie stays fit] recently posted..The Moral Behind the Flat Bike Tire
Rachael
974 days ago
Thank you so much for the blog. What a great reminder about all that I have been blessed with and I was given that extra push to give to those who dont have as much…
Joy Tanksley
974 days ago
Thank you. This is profoundly beautiful, my friend. And may I say that it’s really just a damn fine piece of writing?
Betsy
974 days ago
Wow. You really bring it home here. Thank you for this.
Emergefit
974 days ago
And I can’t help but wonder….. How many people would have just kept running? I think we can agree on the word, Majority.
This was a beautiful act. Thank you.
Emergefit recently posted..Gratatouille…
Margarita Tartakovsky
974 days ago
Wow, Ashley, I also needed this. You captured your experience so beautifully and thoughtfully. I tend to get caught up in wanting to have certain material things, and then getting upset about not being able to afford it. But that’s not right, and I appreciate your reminder. When we came to the US as immigrants in ’89, we didn’t have much either, and it’s funny because I feel like I also was blissfully unaware and yet aware, if that makes sense. My parents worked incredibly hard, and my mom still does.
But I totally digress – again, this really is beautiful. Thank you for this!
Margarita Tartakovsky recently posted..Why the Media Isn’t to Blame for Eating Disorders
Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries
974 days ago
You’re a great story teller :smile: And, you’re right. We can all learn a lot from this boy. When I am struggling through a workout, I tell myself, “I am so lucky to be able to move my body”. It generally gives me what I need to push through.
Kate @ Walking in the Rain
974 days ago
I’m probably little biased today, my back is out, so any movement for me–standing, walking, sneezing, bending–is difficult. I’m jealous of my husband who is crawling up the floor working on something, because for me to do so will be difficult.
However, when my back is feeling stellar, I will have to remember to take care of it because it is a privilege to have a healthy body and functioning back, and the means to take care of it.
charlotte
973 days ago
This is a profoundly moving story and I’ve been thinking about it all day. I’m so glad you were able to take the lesson being offered to you. And I’m so glad you could share it with us!
sui
973 days ago
Running is definitely a privilege. When I bought my first pair of running shoes, my jaw dropped… $100 for ONE pair of shoes? That was more than I had spent on any clothing or shoes in my life. So easily people forget that what they have are PRIVILEGES… so easily people forget to be grateful that they’re even able to read this blog.
I’ve been thinking about privilege a lot recently, studying privilege & oppression, etc. This post was so appropriate, and so beautiful. Thank you for writing it.
sui recently posted..gratitude for cat-itude
Dorry
973 days ago
YES! Running really is a privilege. I think about it in different ways but the fact that I have the time and energy to get up and run every morning is a huge blessing. I get to choose when I run and how long I run and where I run, all of which are huge privileges. I have a friend who was in a car accident almost a year ago and she doesn’t have the use of her legs anymore. She’s 29 years old and now in a wheelchair, going through an extensive rehab program. I think about her when I’m running. Great post, Ashley!
Dorry recently posted..You’ve Made It!
Sarah
972 days ago
I completely agree, and I must admit I am surprised to see such a post on a healthy living blog. It’s easy to forget how privileged most of us are…and how much we whine when even an ounce of that privilege is taken away (e.g., I’ve been running so SLOW lately! or It’s getting so cold and windy out!). (Side note: I am guilty of this too…and it’s always nice to have this reminder.) Beautifully written post.
Joy
972 days ago
I do see running as a privilege – I also see it as a piece of my sanity I have to hold on tightly to
Rose
969 days ago
this is really beautiful, ashley. thank you for sharing your insight, yet again.
Rose recently posted..I like my muffins tasty- thanks
Willow @ Making Food Simple
968 days ago
Thank you for this, and though you focused on the exercise piece, much of the same could be said about food. Many of us agonize over what to eat, when to eat, what the proper nutrient balance should be, etc, etc. And yet there are many out there that struggle just to put food (any food!) on the table. Often when I get deep into my head and start to construct glorious and complex rules about food, I remind myself of just this thing. Sometimes, we just need to eat. Eat. That’s all!
Ashley @ Nourishing the Soul
968 days ago
I definitely agree about applying this to eating! When I sit and think about it, there are so many things that are true privileges in our lives.
~M~
932 days ago
I just wrote a whole blog post about this. Thank you for the inspiration. I am supposedly “privileged” but really, I am not. i straddle a strange divide. In some ways i embrace my privilege but doing so is always a struggle.
~M~ recently posted..Running is a Priviledge
Nancy
921 days ago
Awesome post, and thank you. I come from a South Asian background and am reminded that it’s a privilege in many ways to have to deal with an excess of weight rather than starvation, the way that many people do in the places my family comes from. My food-related struggles are all about pushing away from an abundance of yummy food in my life rather than having nothing available to me. Similarly, I exercise because I have the extra time, money, and energy to expend on preventing weight I don’t gain by pushing away all that food. It’s not just a problem abroad, it’s a significant problem here in the US. Once upon a time, mothers used to ask their kids to finish large portions of food because “there are starving kids in China who would kill for that food.” Today, the way I see it, only taking and eating an appropriate amount of food, and exercising and respecting my body is the best way to show gratitude for what I have in this world.
Ashley @ Nourishing the Soul
921 days ago
That’s a really powerful way to reframe that all-too-common phrase (my parents use to say Africa, but nonetheless…!).
Melissa Henry
859 days ago
Thank you for a wonderful post, it really made me think more deeply about the privileges we all enjoy and too often take for granted. There was a time when my running shoes lived in my eating disorder therapist’s bottom filing cabinet drawer, while I was too sick to run. Fully recovered now, I am thankful every day that I can run in a healthy and balanced manner that empowers me rather than tears me down. But your post gave me a much broader perspective, again thank you so much for reminding us how privileged we really are.