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"Shin Splints"
A Blog by Doug Logan

Beauty is as Beauty does

Saturday, April 25, 2009

In one fell swoop, with the saying in the title of this piece scribbled on a piece of paper, my mother destroyed me and my team in a family game of charades many years ago. Try acting it out sometime. Impossible! Over the course of my life I have learned the wisdom of this proverb. That while we objectify beauty in our culture, true beauty arises out of actions, demeanor and style.

I now must admit that nowhere does this truism apply more for me than in my feelings about women. I am a pushover for a woman who is smart, assertive, and courageous and speaks her mind. Frilly, passive, dependent and gobs of make-up may appeal to some men, but give me a bold woman who is confident in her own mind and comfortable in her own skin. Airbrushed centerfold pictures may appeal to some, but I think of the beauty of a woman, with messed hair and dirt under her fingernails, after a morning in the garden. Coach Pat Summit could get me to run wind-sprints; Queen Latifah could get me to take a yoga class; Edie Falco could convince me to eat tofu.

The point of this blog is the remarkable performance of Kara Goucher at the Boston Marathon last week. Even New York gossip columnists have noted that Ms. Goucher is no slouch when it comes to pulchritude: she and her husband, Adam, have the looks that belong on magazine covers. But those of us who were fortunate enough to witness the competition on a windy Patriots' Day on Boston's streets saw her do a truly beautiful thing.

Right from the start, you can tell the women's race is going to be one of those tactical classics that would be riveting to the finish. The pace is slow as a pack of about a dozen front-runners run into the face of a constant easterly wind. Having seen Kara run her inaugural marathon in New York, the difference is apparent immediately. After New York she had admitted to being a bit unsure that she could finish; here she has the assurance of a seasoned warrior. With her signature high-arm action and confident rhythm, she has herself in control at the front. But, her eyes! There is something in the eyes of ruthless competitors that is difficult to describe. Tiger, Martina, Alberto, Joanie; all at their peak have this look in their eyes that says, "this is mine!" And that is the look we all see in Kara's eyes.

She finally makes a move to dilute the pack. Slowly, twelve become ten, then eight, then four. As they turn onto Boylston Street for the final four-tenths of a mile it is three; mano-a-mano-mano. Affirmed vs. Alydar. Ali vs. Frazier. Kara rips off her gloves and throws them to the street as the proverbial gauntlet in anticipation of the finishing sprint. Game on!

In storybooks, Kara wins the race and is crowned with laurel. This year, Kara learns a valuable lesson about herself, the timing of her move, the gas in her tank, and how much she wants to win. You can see her utter disappointment in her third-place finish, but she also displays the will to be back and finish the job she started in this race. We will see that look in her eyes again. On a blustery day in Boston we see a woman do a beautiful thing.

The USA had a great day in Boston. Besides Kara, Ryan Hall also finished third in the men's race, giving us two racers on the podium for the first time in decades. We are sending a message to the world. We will concede no distance, no event in our climb to dominate this great sport. Sprints, hurdles, walks, relays, roads, throws, jumps; we will meet you on every front, on every surface, in any location. Competition, after all, is beautiful.

Game on!

COMMENTS
I knew it. I just knew it. Beauty does exist in the mind of a jock. Poetry and literature, too. And some imagination. We'll take it. Thanks, Doug, for some good writing. Indeed, Game on.
Posted by: Lennie Tucker on 4/25/2009 5:08:50 PM PT
I know what you mean about truly beautiful women, but you kind of lost me on that "being dominated" part. I once ran a 5K with Greta Waitz when she was at her peak. For the first mile she was right beside me, and extremely beautiful, with her effortless strides. After the mile mark her beauty faded, as she pulled away, to leave me with only a vision of the bottoms of her shoes. She dominated me, and almost every other man in the field.
Posted by: monte pickens on 4/25/2009 5:10:29 PM PT
Competition is most beautiful handled gracefully - thank you for sharing your appreciation! Great post!
Posted by: julie poplawski on 4/25/2009 5:21:55 PM PT
Ryan Hall and Karen Goucher have brought the Marathon back to the United States where it belongs. It's been a long time. Thank you Ryan and Karen what both of you did in Boston was a blessing.
Posted by: Larry Epstein on 4/26/2009 4:25:13 AM PT
This is a very mainstream topic on a crowded bandwagon pulled by a horse that has been beaten to death over and over again in the mainstream 24 hour media. Challenging stereotypes: Men arent the only ones who objectify the other sex. Girls arent the only ones who are negatively affected by the perfect bodies in television and movies.
Posted by: Susan H. on 4/26/2009 5:34:39 AM PT
I have four boys and all want to be muscular and lean like the super heroes and actors n the mainstream media, and theyve voiced this since they were five. Their ages range from yrs to 11 now, and I still have a hard time making them eat because theyre afraid of getting fat. Ive noticed this with many other boys on their baseball, soccer, and football teams so its not isolated to only my boys.
Posted by: Susan H on 4/26/2009 5:35:07 AM PT
I work on a cardiac unit for over 15 years and many boys from teen years through early thirties come in with eating disorders or adverse effect from working out excessively and using over the counter supplements that gives them kidney failure where they end up on hemodialysis, open heart surgery for valve replacements, etc Billions of tax dollars are given to womens groups to voice their concerns only concerning them which implies that men and boys have no problems; thus boys are ignored to die in silence. Nothing is spent on educating boys or young men. Even corporations lobbied by womens groups using federal tax dollars raise money and awareness for womens-only issues. How many times have you seen a pink ribbon on a product in a store to raise money for womens issues?
Posted by: Susan H on 4/26/2009 5:35:29 AM PT
I hate to be a little bump in your oh poor girl parade, but Im sure youll have a lot of support. The poor little girl topic has been a trendy topic to write about for over thirty years. Maybe if enough boys died, stereotypes will be broken and society will realize that boys do not get everything handed to them just because they have a penis; that boys suffer from very much the same things as girls; that boys are human with the same weaknesses. Its a penis people! Not a magic wand!
Posted by: Susan H on 4/26/2009 5:35:50 AM PT
Last Monday at mile 24 Kara ran past me within five feet(I managed to get a great photo to prove it.) She looked strong and was in the lead. I was hoping she was on her way to a first place. From my perspective the discipline, striving for excellence and plain hard work leading to Boston reflects the potential beauty of the human spirit. In my book, all 27,000 who ran the race last Monday are winners!
Posted by: Gloria Hansen on 4/26/2009 8:56:42 AM PT
Just started training for my 1st Chicago Maraton this Oct. I have a ton of pain behind my right knee. I stretch and ice and today heat. Any suggestions? I I'm doing a 14 mile /week training. just finished my second week.
Posted by: Brian Collins on 4/26/2009 3:04:52 PM PT
AMEN!! that was an awesome blog!!! Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Dr. Joe Ford on 4/26/2009 8:36:17 PM PT
haveing spent some time in the study of ancient greek philosophers i read with intrest the comments concerning beauty-it is of course subjective,to a male hyena the most beautifull thing in the world is a young female hyena i presume,one calls beautifull that that contributes to my survival and propogation and to that of those with whom i identify favorable.Democ
Posted by: samuel miller on 4/27/2009 9:55:12 AM PT
I ran Boston last Monday, and finished in 3:40:46, not one of my better runs. But thanks Doug for being there for our sport, and thanks Susan H for recognizing all who ran. I wish I had been glued to the TV to watch the race.
Posted by: Dave L on 4/27/2009 11:20:10 AM PT
THanks for a great article! I have been fortunate for the oportunity to coach track for over 40 yrs! I helped the "Federation" grow in the very early age , having started coaching track in 1960! AAU was all we had! I was fortunate to a delegate to the 1st Convention and continue to coach! Our club celebrates it's 45th yr!
Posted by: Gerald Christensen on 4/29/2009 2:58:00 PM PT
The MoValley Assoc has lots of competition from the "other guy!" This part of the country is starting to show more "life" in the USATF program! Appreciate all U do for us! TBTC,Topeka
Posted by: Gerald Christensen on 4/29/2009 3:02:53 PM PT
I am a 16 year old female, I have not yet been diagnosed with shin splints but I have all the symptoms. I have recently started working out and jogging at gyms and in my neighbourhood. I got the awful feeling in both legs a few das ago, I thought maybe it was a minor strain but the pain has not decreased. Is there any way to decrease the pain without seeing a doctor??
Posted by: Morgan Mensch on 4/29/2009 7:26:41 PM PT
Congrats to Kara on a great race! I'm not sure if I agree 100 percent with Doug Logan's philosophy... In the end, Kara made beautiful use of her strength. And yes, she was born with beauty which is very inspiring, particularly her husband. Strength enables one to work; beauty inspires one to work. My perception is that the two are inseparable because each qualifies the other.
Posted by: Jimmy Holub on 5/10/2009 4:13:59 PM PT
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Photo of Doug Logan Doug Logan is the CEO of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization has more than 90,000 members throughout the country.