Running with the Girls

Last week my soccer team was back in action. We have been on spring break since mid March for a much needed rest and to avoid burn-out. I had been waiting for this day with both eager anticipation and nervous dread. Eager anticipation to see if and how my running regime would affect my performance on the field and nervous dread for exactly the same reason.


I arrived at the field earlier than the required 30 minutes before kick-off. It wasn’t a sunny evening, but it was warm with no wind and it wasn’t raining. There were some new faces and some old friends and we all hugged and chit-chatted about how we missed each other and the game over the spring hiatus. I still felt nervousness in the pit of my stomach, but I was happy to be in the good company of some like-minded, strong-spirited women participating in a sport where you run around like mad, all the while trying to kick a ball into a net at the end of the field.


The ages of the women on my team span almost 30 years which means I am playing with women who could be my daughters and women who could be my sisters. It’s awesome! On the soccer pitch we are all equal, regardless of who we are, what we do for a living, whether we are married or not, whether we have children or not, whether we eat meat or not, whether our hair color is real or not, whether we are a size 6 or not. This is a sport that requires us to run around wearing shorts and sporting ponytails while kicking a ball; a sport which requires team work and heart. Our playing together creates energy, usually a positive energy but sometimes a competitive energy. I have experienced both. Warm ups and cool downs are important here, it provides time to connect and vent at a conversational pace as some times things can get a little frenzied mid game out on the field. We have good days and bad days and sometimes these are out of our control. But what matters is how we handle the bad days. We hang in there and support, respect and motivate each other. The team is a safe place to learn to be your best, and everybody’s best is different. I feel fortunate to know and play with these women.


It was the first game of the summer season and we all put in a hard effort and generally had a good ol’ time. We left the field the way we arrived, in high spirits and feeling good about the team effort we put in. And if you’re wondering about my performance? Well let’s just say the running has definitely paid off. I certainly felt fitter, faster and stronger out there and this is the way I like to play. So I guess I’ll keep on running, after all it seems to be good for me.