Run For Your Life
by Cathy Gale
A few years ago - during the primetime broadcast of the 2000 Olympics if I remember correctly- a sport shoe company ran a series of commercials on American television. The commercials featured individuals jogging along, minding their own business, until they were suddenly spun into unusual and violent situations, which they overcame because they were good athletes (and wore the appropriate shoe). One featured a man who found himself facing armored knights, trolls and other monsters. Another featured a woman jogging through the streets of a city, suddenly chased by a mask-wearing, chainsaw wielding man. It was filmed as if it were a slasher movie, and it was only at the end, when her pursuer collapsed in a breathless heap while the woman ran triumphantly on, that it was made clear that it was a commercial for running shoes.
The commercial was shown only the one time, and pulled the very next day because of an outcry from women�s groups that it trivialized violence against women. And on the one hand, I agreed with that verdict. I was shocked when I saw it, the more so because it was aired during �prime time� when children were, hopefully, watching the Olympics as well as adults. The way it was filmed - the cinema verite, also added to the uncomfortableness of it.
But on the other hand, once it was clear it was a commercial, I thought it sent a good message to women. Physical fitness can save your life. Without getting dramatic about it, the ability to jog or run for long distances will simply improve your life. No more missing buses because you poop out after the first few seconds of a half-block run, to give only one example.
If you don�t like running, for whatever reason, take up bicycling. You need to bicycle at a fast pace to get the same kind of cardiovascular workout you�d get from jogging. If you don�t have the time to bike for long distances all you need to do is find a hill near your home, and ride (or run) up it at top speed as many times as you can. If you�re just a beginner you may not be able to get all the way up it the first day, or the second, or the third, but by your fourth attempt you�ll reach the top still peddling and feel great. Then go back down and do it again.
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