Pink Is the Color of Strength

It’s no longer a demure color for me

I’ve learned so much about the color pink over the years. I don’t think of pink as delicate and demure. There is no name for pink like “blush” and “bashful” for me. Pink is a color of strength, and here’s why:

My running team is called the Pink Nation. I’ve been running with them for 6 months of the year for 10 years now, coaching since 2019. We are a novice marathon training team. 

Novice is a bit of a misnomer, as several of our members have run multiple marathons like me. Novice indicates more of the miles you are willing to run in a training season. I prefer running on the lighter side of mileage, but this is over 500 miles in a season, which is still impressive if you ask me. 

I love my team. I love coaching. And I love helping new marathoners reach their dreams!

The pink flamingo is one of our mascots, and it’s fitting that this year, the world witnessed the strength of these majestic birds as they rode the winds of a hurricane and found new places they have never explored in North America.

Although pink has been deemed a feminine color by society, my team views it a bit differently, as marathoners are among the toughest athletes mentally.

The coaches take turns giving the benediction, our name for our pre-run pep talk, each week. This week was again my turn, and here’s what I told my team:

The Joy of Pink

I struggled a bit to find inspiration for this week’s benediction. But then I found it in the most unusual place. I’ll explain that part in a bit. 

What does it mean to be pink?

As a team, we have practically branded it. 

We have our own hashtag from the phrase:  

BLOOD + SWEAT = PINK

We hijacked a slogan from Mean Girls and made it our own:

ON SUNDAYS WE WEAR PINK.

Lisa has made sure that we have the most amazing merch to proudly declare ourselves members of this team. 

And we have run so many miles together, living our mantra:

ALL GO. NO QUIT. COWBOY UP!

We made pink cool long before the Barbie movie made it en vogue again. 

Pink is special. This team is special. All of you inspire us as your coaches to come here every week and help you work toward your goals. 

And as a former gymnast, I’m following the World Gymnastics Championships and USA Gymnastics closely. 

That’s why I loved that the ladies wore hot pink leos for their podium training for the World Championships.

And this quote from their social media inspired me to talk to you about the meaning of pink:

“Pink is the color of strength, a color of conviction, a color of decision making.”

So true, right? We are so excited that you chose to join us in this journey. I’m so glad you all are a part of the Pink Nation! 

Enjoy this fallback week and this amazing weather! Let’s bring it in… 

ALL GO! NO QUIT! COWBOY UP!

Coach Anne

It was great weather, indeed. Sunny skies, crisp air. It stayed cool until the very end of the run. 

Although the mileage was supposed to be only 12 since it was a drop-back week, the route was long at 12.6 miles, and I had to add on a bit to find a public bathroom. (Thank you, Hardees, for the use of your facilities!)

I ended up with 13 miles. Why? Because when I got back to my car, the mileage on my Garmin said 12.89. It seemed silly to end there. I ran to 13, just like any other type-A runner would. 

And after the run, I went home and streamed the qualifying round for USA Gymnastics in the World Championships. The women did not disappoint, with Simone Biles adding a new, perilous vault to the list of skills with her namesake. And Shiliese Jones with an impressive second place in the all-around, with Simone first, of course. 

I’m so excited for and inspired by USA Gymnastics right now, and I can’t wait to see how this week plays out. Simone seeks redemption, and I’m here for it!

Do you want to follow along? You can see routines, updates, and live streams here: https://allgymnastics.tv/

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Do you love the color pink? Do you love USA Gymnastics? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.