"Chicked"

by Serena Burla on October 19, 2012

About a year and a half ago I was at a runner friend’s wedding reception grouped at the “runners and triathletes” table when I was introduced to a new term: chicked.  The conversation went something like this:

Guy: You were saying you run on the trail off Old State Road by the kids train station; when do you run there?

Me: Oh, usually Thursday mornings and on Tuesday afternoons.

Guy: Ok. Good. Now I know what times to avoid running there.

Me: Why? I love seeing people I know on the trails.

Guy: Well, I don’t want to get CHICKED.

Me: Chicked? What is chicked?

Guy: It’s when a guy gets passed by a girl when running. I have never been chicked and I want it to stay that way.  So I have to avoid running that trail when you might be out on a run. 

Me: Are you for real?

Guy: Yeah, I mean some men choose to turn around before the possibility of being chicked can occur if they see it coming. 

Me: Grin and laugh wickedly with pride thinking about the power of a female runner.

Until a few weeks ago I had forgotten about this term. I try to be polite or encouraging to others on the trails and quite honestly am inspired by other runner of all ages and abilities. There is something so powerful about seeing other runners out on the trails at the break of day bettering themselves.     But, running is running and I am a competitor, and a few weeks ago something strange happened that made me think back to this term.  I was passed by a guy.  It was my second run for the day and I was running along in my own little world listening to my body when BAM. Low and behold footsteps grew nearer at a quicker pace and passed me.  I think my initial response was a deer in the headlights look and a dropped jaw. Then there was a split second of bitterness and me giving his back the evil eye.  Naturally there was a fleeting moment of instinct and wanting to chase him down, but I was on a recovery run and I had to be mature and smart about my training.  After a few minutes I laughed at myself thinking back to that wedding reception conversation- “Chicked” I muttered under my breath, obviously humbled. This quickly led me to wonder, is there was a term for a girl getting passed by a guy. What would it be coined? Duded? Guy’d? Man’d? One of my guy friends had the guts to reply “normal” which led me to rethink our friendship.  I couldn’t find an answer to my question.

Not less than a week later I was on a group run with my training partners when another situation occurred.  We found ourselves running behind this guy during our second loop around a local lake trail and he was holding the gap. He wasn’t extending it, we weren’t closing it.  After about 5 minutes my teammate Yihunlish said what I’d been thinking. She pointed to the guy indicating the gap he’d maintained and exclaimed, “What is happening?” We burst out laughing.  This gap was as noteworthy as the reverse chicked days prior.  We picked it up a notch, but rather than flying by when we caught him we complimented him and encouraged him to join our pack and pick up the pace.  If he fell a step off we were shouting, “Come on. Get back up here. Finish the loop with us. You can do it. Stay right here with us.”  If he was going to throw off our idea of normalcy out on the trails we were going to make sure we challenged him too.  I am pretty sure he’d never been happier to see the parking lot when we parted, him to stop, us heading out for another loop.

Last weekend on a two hour fifteen minute run I was way out on the trail plugging away seeing fewer and fewer people. After a mile lapse of people I was rejuvenated to see a group of guys running up ahead.  As I offered my verbal warning of “On your left” to pass, I heard a quiet groan and then a plea of male pride, “Please don’t tell us you started under the Rosslyn Key Bridge too.” “Yes I did” I replied with an extra bit of cheer.  Then the group let out a loud defeated “Awe” in unison and I knew I had stamped them with my chicked print.  We exchanged pleasantries united in distance and the extra mile and I continued on, thinking, “It is far more fun to do the chicking, but I guess in running, the sexes are equally motivated by one another”.   I am so proud and thankful that I have the opportunity to be a female runner and that the guys on the trails have to have a term for us cruising by them on foot in running shoes rather than high heels.

In the meantime watch out guys or the old Hall and Oates song Maneater is going to get stuck in your head….

I know what she can do

She's deadly man, she could really rip your world apart

Mind over matter

Ooh, the beauty is there but a beast is in the heart

  (Oh-oh, here she comes)  Watch out boy she'll chew you up

  (Oh-oh, here she comes)  She's a maneater

  (Oh-oh, here she comes)  Watch out boy she'll chew you up