Her bare feet picked up speed and her long legs took extended strides on the wet ground beneath. The prey, a young deer, had strayed from its herd, but pursuing it was tough. She could run up to a speed of 18 mph, but the deer was swifter. To her benefit, she could outrun it over a period of time till the animal’s body overheated, causing it to slow down. That was when she would close in, shooting a projectile from her shoulder to take the animal down. Her feet and legs had evolved for running. A narrow flexible waist and a stable head balanced her and kept her straight on the trail. Her muscles had stored enough energy for long-distance running similar to what professional runners today do by “combining reasonable speed with exceptional endurance”. She had three children back at the bush to feed. The deer meat would last a while with enough to be shared with the group of hunter-gatherers she lived among.
When the ability to run shaped women’s anatomy and evolved them, societies around the world deemed these innate abilities unnecessary. Women didn’t have to run anywhere for anything. It was redundant. Running was for the pleasure of men solely. What was desired of women were “chastity, modesty, obedience, and inconspicuous behaviour”. “Child bearing, spinning, weaving and household chores” were the women’s domain. The rest were the reserve of men.
But you can’t pin a running woman down too long! In 776 BC, young women took part in the Heraean Games to honour the Greek goddess Hera. It was held in the Olympic stadium at Elis prior to the men’s games. Participation was restricted to young, unmarried women. They wore a modest knee-length tunic, though the men ran naked. Unappreciated and unacknowledged during their time, the women runners of the Heraean Games were perhaps the pioneers of competitive women runners.
Noor ran with long strides, her Achilles tendon acting like springs to de-pressurise her soles, her big toe pushing off from the concrete turf. The sun had just risen and the tranquillity of the early morning had a blissful effect. The sunlight caught her eyes and she felt buoyant and light-headed. The beads of sweat on her arms and face cooled her body. This was “alone time” for her that unspooled the tangles in her brain. A verse by Rachel Zuker rose in her mind: “So as I run through Central Park, at a speed not much faster than walking but slightly, I am shattering fields of time around me and expressing time differently from those I pass...”
Noor took up running about two years ago. She was in a difficult phase in her life, two growing kids and a demanding corporate job. Being a single parent was difficult, though there was support from family and friends. She was prone to anxiety and uncertainty that would result in sudden depths of stress and depression. Then her childhood passion for running proved the saviour. The benefits were immense.
She slept well; it sharpened her memory and concentration and boosted her morale and self-confidence. The healthy circulation of blood and acquired muscle strength put her in good shape.
It wasn’t easy in the beginning. She was prone to injuries and exhaustion. But she taught herself the warm-up fitness routines required in suitable conditioning for running. She bought the best running shoes that many years of research, design, skilled labour and quality control had fashioned the sports industry and non-absorbent, lightweight, breathable, stretchable, durable, polyester running clothes.
After all, comfort played a prime role in running. And she put up on her writing table this lifting quote of Sylvia Plath: “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery — air, mountains, trees, people/ I thought this is what it is to be happy.”
