Distance runners have always been looked at as a little weird. Who in their right mind gets excited about subjecting their body to hours of bone jarring, foot pounding, joint twisting, muscle tearing exercise and do it in weather when most people won’t even take out their cars? For most runners, there are no financial rewards, no Olympic medals, no TV appearances, and on most days no cheering crowds (unless you count the rude comments from passing motorists).
While it may
come as no surprise that runners are at the high end of the weird scale, when
it comes to marathon and ultramarathon runners, we enter a whole new world of
strange. Here’s a few examples:
Skewed definition
of “FUN”: A fun way to start our day is
getting up at obscene hours in the AM to get in an hour of running in the rain before
work. Just in case you don’t believe
we are having a good time we call our race gatherings “Fun Runs” and give them
catchy names like Turkey Trot, Jingle Bell Jog, and Easter Bunny Hop. Some might say more appropriate names would
be Slug Slog, Misery Marathon and Agony of de Feet.
Obsess over
shoes: We have more of a shoe fetish
than Carrie in Sex in the City. It
needs just the right amount of cushioning, flexibility, motion control,
breathability, and of course there is the new carbon fiber “super shoes”. Once
you find the right pair that fits just right you have to stockpile several
pairs because the shoe companies change the fit and style every year.
Will run for
food: We pay $30-50 to enter a race where
the reward at the end is a free bagel, banana and a protein bar (oh, and maybe a
t-shirt). The
training does allow you to have that nightly extra-large bowl of ice cream
guilt free (not that I would know firsthand).
Vacations
are for running: When planning a vacation,
the location of where you stay is often based on the running routes in the
area. Those runners with more accommodating spouses
(angels) might even plan their vacation around a race.
Nature calls
don’t require a bathroom: Enough said.
Unusual
medical maladies: Bleeding nipples, black
toenails, rashes in unmentionable areas, shin splints, runner’s knees, Plantar Fasciitis
and IT Band Syndrome. When runners get
together you often may hear them proudly comparing war stories how they ran
races with crippling injuries.
Tech
accessories: In the old days we would tie on the old shoes and head out the
door. Now it’s like preparing for war. GPS Watches, cell phone holder, wireless earbuds,
flashing wrist/ankle bands, heart rate monitor, specialized UV sunglasses, and
a hydration belt. Makes you wonder how early
man was ever able to outrun prehistoric animals.
Monitor
everything: All this technology has
runners hyper-focused on tracking every aspect of their run including stride
length, average cadences (how many foot strikes/minute), peak cadence, average
pace, fastest mile, avg heart rate, peak heart rate, vertical climb, and max Vo2
(oxygen consumption) to name a few. Not only do people monitor their stats but
there are websites that help them brag about them. Do other runners really want to hear daily about
your heart rate or average pace on a daily basis or your commentary about the
sun shining and seeing a little bunny rabbit on your run? I don’t.
Most runners
would say that the above behaviors are normal, at least for a runner. I think the big question is…”Are runners’
weird people who were attracted to running or does process of running make
normal people weird?”
Opinions
welcome, I’ll post the results on the next blog.
On a
personal note, when people say I’m crazy for running the way I do, I like to
remember the Stephen Hawking’s quote…”The thing about smart people is they seem
like crazy people to dumb people.” Most
of the time I don’t say it out loud.
Most of the time.
