I’m a Warrior

This post was written back in the summer, but I never put it up. Hearing a song made me recall it and finally post it.

This weekend, though, I couldn’t help but think of Mollie Tibbetts. I only know the story from the press and there is nothing more unique about her story then the other ones I’ve heard (or the countless that we haven’t heard). I know she likely wasn’t the only runner, female or male, attacked that day and possibly killed but her story is the one we hear now and is the one making people take pause.

As I ran today, I thought about how I, or any of my friends, could have been or could be Mollie. I did not run on July 18th but I ran four days that week. I’ve run at 5:30am and 7pm at night. I’ve run local loops and new adventure loops. I’ve run in sun, rain and snow. I’ve run with a phone and without a phone. I’ve run in long pants and short shorts. Tank tops and long sleeve shirts. And never have I been afraid when I went out the front door.

With Mollie’s story (or more locally Vanessa Marcotte’s) there becomes a wave of fear within the running world, especially for female runners. I do not think this fear is unwarranted and that makes me so angry. I’m mad because runner’s change their paths because of these crimes. Runner’s change their clothes. They carry mace. They shorten runs or, worse of all, skip runs all together. Something that is supposed to bring joy and health brings fear and pain.

This weekend I thought long and hard about what this means to me as a runner and how it impacts me. As I ran I realized that I am refusing to be afraid right now. I will run because I can and because I can defy those who pray on runner’s because of their vulnerability. I will be cautious because I should be, but I will run because that is all that Mollie, Vanessa and all those whose names I don’t know wanted to do: they wanted to run because it was something they loved and needed just as it is for me.

It is not fair what happened and there is no sense in these stories. Everyone should be able to lace up theirs shoes and enjoy a mile or ten without fear of attack or death. And so I encourage all my friends, male and female, to go and take a run because it is something powerful and beautiful and should not be held captive by fear and hate.