Whenever we talk about something being “real” I can’t help but think of The Velveteen Rabbit. You know the book, right? If you don’t, go get it and read it right now as it’s an important part of your development as a human! (Amazon affiliate link)

In the book, the little boy has a stuffed rabbit. And in the nursery the rabbit is having a hard time fitting in (mostly because he’s an arrogant SOB) and the Skin Horse tries to help him in a kind and compassionate way by taking him down a few notches and explaining what he needs to do to be “real”. Here’s the quote that’s the tear jerker (btw, what did this poor kid have that they had to burn all his stuffed animals? This book is why I was a stuffed animal hoarder for much of my life. Because I was convinced they were all real. I may still be convinced. What were we talking about?). Oh, OK, so the Skin Horse is telling the rabbit how you become real. Here you go:

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

So what the he double hockey sticks does that rather touching children’s book have to do with running?

For me, a lot. Because my most real race was also the one that made me a real runner.

It was my first half marathon and I had started running seriously just a few months before. I trained almost exclusively on the treadmill for this race and knew almost nothing.

I didn’t know about Body Glide, or compression shorts under skirts to stop chafing or the power of taking in some fuel during the race. I was completely unaware of Jeff Galloway and had no idea what a 4 x 400 was and had never heart of Kara Goucher or Burt Yasso or Kathrine Switzer.

I had started running to work through my grief.

My dad had died and I needed an outlet. Something to do, a goal to work towards, a daily space where I could cry and scream and deal. And running was that for me.

And it was the weirdest thing. The more I ran the more I could run, and my 2 mile runs turned into 5 then turned into 8 and then turned into 10. And then I ran a half marathon.

No joke. It was as simple as that. Oh, and I had read one book, Born to Run,  by Christopher McDougall and because of that put on Vibram FiveFingers and kept running in them for years after. (and yes, I am still a minimalist runner).

I had no idea if I could complete the distance come race day. I remember chatting with a woman in my corral who was traveling the US doing all the RnR race series races and I thought, WOW, what a cool and simultaneously ridiculous thing to do (yes, I get it now, sorry girl I judged).

During that race I cried a lot, I sang along to my ipod sometimes (I remember around mile 10 my ipod shuffle getting stuck on Queen but it was good because anything by Queen is good during a half marathon) and just feeling miraculous. And no, not overstating.

It wasn’t pretty (btw, WHAT AM I WEARING) and I wasn’t particularly speedy or impressive (2:36 was my finish time) but I finished and something in me changed.

As a runner, I became real.

And I knew I would never go back to being “unreal” again. And years from now, even if my body should fail me and I am no longer able to run, I will still be a real runner.

Because as the Skin Horse said:

“…once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”

The End

Happy Running.

Jen

oh, PS, do you want to help a woman who is just starting to run?? Then use the hashtag #REALwomenmove every time you get out there and are being awesome on Instagram, Pinterest and FB. For every 5000 times the hashtag is used, Skirt Sports is giving a Get Started kit to a new runner including everything she needs to get started on her own running journey and an entry to her first race. And that’s very cool.