I’m just imagining all the new Google search terms I’m going to have….. oh boy.
“Manning up” was clearly ABSENT from my list of 2011 goals. Going with the extremely literal translation of the phrase…. well, my anatomy is not capable of such things. But going with the more common Urban Dictionary definition…… shoot! Maybe not. Urban Dictionary will give you anything from “growing a pair” to “to maintain or resume his assigned place within patriarchy.” None of which I really mean….
So what am I rambling about then?
The genesis: I have always believed that I hold pretty high standards for myself. In academics, in athletics, and just in life in general. Surpriiise! That is also very characteristic of many Type A personalities. But it is also a product of the way my parents raised me. No… they were definitely NOT the type to whip out the belt if I got in “trouble” at school or got caught tickling the feet of the Jesus statue at church. (Um…………. nevermind.) But my parents did instill in me the fact that I am a very smart and strong girl – despite anyone trying to trick me otherwise – and I better not sell myself short. Not “better not” in the or else sense, but “better not” as in there is absolutely no need to! [In my mildly opinionated mind...] The reasons people give less than 100% are because:
- they don’t leave enough time
- they know they can get away with less
- no one’s watching
and essentially variations thereof. This theory is applied to many things in my life, from work deadlines to training. Well what if I have an injury? you say. Then you give your 100% at recovery. What if I don’t have all the same training tools as s/he has? Then you put up 100% with what you do have. While this is a theory that has been present throughout my life, giving 100% is something I want to be particularly cognizant of in 2011.
Did I get to the point about manning up yet? Damn…
STANDARDS.
There are pre-determined standards all over the place. Whether written, or assumed, official or not, they span from the height a man should be to the way a woman should act. There are standards in the professional world, in education, and in sports. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think standards are necessarily “bad”. But I think they very easily can be. And especially standard differentiation between men and women.
A very obvious example among this group would be the differentiation between men’s and women’s Boston Marathon Qualifying times.
- AGE GROUP // MEN // WOMEN // DIFFERENCE FROM LAST GROUP
- 18 – 34 // 3:10 // 3:40 // 0 min.
- 35 – 39 // 3:15 // 3:45 // + 5 min.
- 40 – 44 // 3:20 // 3:50 // + 5 min.
- 45 – 49 // 3:30 // 4:00 // + 10 min.
- 50 – 54 // 3:35 // 4:05 // + 5 min.
- 55 – 59 // 3:45 // 4:15 // + 10 min.
- 60 – 64 // 4:00 // 4:30 // + 15 min.
- 65 – 69 // 4:15 // 4:45 // + 15 min.
- 70 – 74 // 4:30 // 5:00 // + 15 min.
- 75 – 79 // 4:45 // 5:15 // + 15 min.
- 80 + // 5:00 // 5:30 // + 15 min.
I highlight the 45-49 age group, because apparently, we are genetically preprogrammed to get slower by 5 minutes every 5 years after the age of 34. But then the muscle fiber disintegration must have like a prolapse → overdrive mechanism, because we get slower by 5 minutes/5 years, and then 10 minutes/5 years, and then 15 minutes/5 years!! Yowza. The human body is complicated!!
Obviously. The human body does tend to slow down with progressing age. If I’m 80 and running a 5:00 marathon… heck yeah. Take me to Grandma’s Saloon and buy me a plate of onion rings. Get it Grandma!!
BUT. No matter what the age group, there is the obvious 30 minute difference between the men’s and women’s qualifying times staring back at you. And to be completely honest, I feel like whatever sounds “fair” is slightly biased based on one’s own abilities. Example: Kristen runs a 3:19:20 and qualified for Boston with 21 minutes to spare, therefore the 3:40 standard for 18-34 year olds doesn’t sound so ominous. Where as Katrina had to bust her butt to run that 3:39:47, and hell yeah a 3:40 cutoff is fair! HOWEVER… Kristen’s 3:19 STILL isn’t “good enough” to qualify based on the men’s STANDARDS. So according to Don, &#@% no, Kristen should have had to work 9 minutes and 20 seconds faster to “qualify” for Boston. You follow where I’m going….?
Moving on from the Boston example. The APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). I don’t really need to do any talking – the charts do it for me (This is only the 2-mile run chart… if you care you can look at the push-ups and sit-ups charts too):
You don’t even have to know how to read this. If you just look at the M vs. F columns, you’ll see that the female scores don’t even start until almost 3 minutes later.
A 17-21 year old male would have to run a 13:00 2-mile to score 100. The minimum time a male in this age group has to run to “pass” is 20:18. A 17-21 year old female would have to run a 15:36 2-mile to score 100. The minimum time a female in this age group has to run to “pass is a 23:54.
I’m running out of space, and time, but if you’re not, check out the kid’s Presidential Challenge charts. While the do expect girls to be more flexible than boys by the age of 17, they hold males to 53 pushups while females can score the same by only doing 25.)
Do these standard differentiations make me mad?? No. (It takes a lot to make me mad…) But they definitely make me annoyed.
Not because I think females are hands down as fast or as strong as males in all respects. There is definitely science behind the distribution of muscle fibers, and the ways that differs between males and females.
But to set qualifying standards for women so much lower then men sends the wrong message. I feel like by accepting these huge standard differentiations, we (women) are selling ourselves short. I know a ton of women who can run a 13:00 2-mil, and I also know a ton of women who can run a 3:10 marathon. Likewise, I know a boat load of MEN who can’t run as fast as their girlfriends or sisters or MOMs.
Essentially, to me it feels like the athletic equivalent of ladies dumbing themselves down in a relationship or in school or at work. I don’t CARE if your boss is a stallion. If you have a better idea and you KNOW it then go for it! If you can beat out that super hot baseball player in killers during PE class… fricking DO IT! Give your own personal 100%.
This might turn into a controversial post… and I sort of hope it does. If everyone just shuts up and accepts everything as status quo then we never move anywhere or make any changes. Obviously I don’t expect my little corner of the internet to change any major standards… but it is always good to be thinking. Always.
Reader Qs: What do you think about the Boston qualifying times? Do you think they’re fair? Do you think men and women should have to achieve the same times if they want to “qualify”? For those of you who have children, especially if you have daughters, what do you think about the examples that standards like these set for young girls?
Funny…. I just took this huge sigh like writing this is stressing me out. Nope… just challenging my brain. I’m still on winter break, so maybe I’m not ready to that just yet. 
Again. Allllways thinking. And SORRY for this being so. freaking. long. Adios!
-E
As with all good things that come in 3s, I made 3 main goals last January. I don’t like the word “resolution” … and as you’ll see in 
