View From d'Isle

Ladies Who Expect to Rate... Expectorate
by Jean d'Isle

fter a recent weekend 10 kilometer race, my brother commented that the number of female participants seems to increase each year, and their running times are improving. But the strongest indicator that they have come of age in a traditionally male-dominated sport is…they're learning to spit.

Unless you're a runner or a sidelines supporter of road racing, you may not realize that few runners can cover much distance without the urge to spit, a condition attributable to physiological factors involving demands on the body's muscles, glands and respiratory system. Spitting , however, also has a social context… It's always been a guy thing. Constrained by society's view of what is proper behavior for the gentler sex, women must cope with an ingrained reluctance to let fly when the urge arises. Does she generate less saliva than her male counterpart? Probably not; but it has been my observation that very few female runners are willing to ignore their upbringing just to alleviate their discomfort and improve their oxygen flow.

Lest you believe that those globules of saliva on the road are merely decorative, talk to some of the the slower runners and race walkers in the back of the pack. My wife, a race walker, finds that when she's lost sight of the runners on a new course and no race marshals are around to point her in the right direction, she has often been able to resolve ambiguity at the intersections by sticking to the old racers' axiom, follow the spit.

So, lady runners, if you aspire to move up in the pack, cast off those surly bonds of genteel behavior. Unfettered expectoration may be the key to improving your performance. But please don't start scratching --.that's still a guy thing.

__________________________________________________

Jean d'Isle is a retired naval officer living in Hawaii. During his military career he served in a number of overseas assignments, including Germany, England, Spain, Viet Nam and Puerto Rico. Following his retirement, he was an adjunct faculty member of Hawaii Pacific University and is currently under contract with the U.S. Navy at the submarine base in Pearl Harbor.

Jean's column, View From d'Isle, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.