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2013-03-10 - 1:34 p.m.

The Runner

He would rise at 5:30 a.m. religiously. The runner was no longer young. He had started running when he was 16 out on the endless geometry, endless corn, middle of the ocean lonely gravel roads of the midwest in late 1980�s and what had started as a fluke became a habit, a necessary routine for his body. Without the bare minimum of a four-mile run, his sleep became fitful, superficial, and un-restful.

At the heart of running, is a paradox. Running is all about being an individual. Taking care of your own health. Making yourself into a more disciplined person physically which you hope will ultimately make that jump over into being a more discliplined person mentally. While the runner really strives for is self-improvement in the way of control over the desires, and not for larger calves or for better abs�although those would be a nice attendant benefits. The aging runner deep in his heart knows that the best physical days are passed, although even the aging runner does not prefer to continue to perform in an endless void, so periodically throughout the year, the aging runner signs up for exorbitantly priced events called 5K�s or 10K�s in order that others can�bear witness� to his/her individual improvement. One irony is that everybody is so busy at these racing events, wanting others to �bear witness� to their form, to their shoes, to that PB that may or may not be just around the corner, that nobody sees anybody but themselves. In the end, the only people who can see the runners for what they are, are the people who are not participants in the race. The overweight, and under-disciplined people on the sidelines standing there with early a.m. alchohol or dressed up caffeine products with swades and lounge clothing on, looking relaxed, who supposedly �cheer-on� the runners. All the rampant spectatorship really does is sow the seeds of doubt, jealousy and the self-questioning. �Why the hell am I doing this again?� �Why did I get up so early this morning?� �Why didn�t I just go out and have a nice brunch with my partner?�

When things got bad with the partner: go for a run. When the money ran out: go for a run. When your mother died: go for a run. When you switched to the Vibram-Five Finger because you ultimately are the kind of person who will cave into peer-pressure and as the kind of person who will cave into peer-pressure, this is an indication that you really want to fit in and be accepted by the group and have not really matured since those early high-school �try this and try that� days.

The runner could remember a time when 5K�s and 10K�s had so few people participating, that the announcer at the finish line could say the name of each runner as he individually crossed the finish line. That moment of delirium at the finish line, didn�t matter if it was a short-run or a long run. The runner always went �big balls plastered to the surmountable walls.� The runner like other runners would cross the finish line and get a spot of reconition. The brief mention of his or her name that comes as a caress, �there, there little one, you do exist and you exist in a way that allows for your 70 kilogram body to run 3.1 miles in exactly 20 minutes and 45 seconds on this day Saturday May 5th 2013 when the temperature was exactly 65 degrees.� What the voice at the end of the finish line does not say is whether or not this performance is repeatable in changing conditions.

There are so many unknowns in running. Despite increased methods of measurement designed to allow runners to repeat stellar performance, a runner can have an �on day or an off day.� As a result of these indeterminate variables, runners have developed all sorts of supersititions to help them tame the chaos.

The gun sounds. Thousands of feet hitting the pavement, the sounds of heavy breathing. People on the sides cheer, not for anyone in particular. They who are not in the race. The ones of the jealousy-inducing, �look at me, it�s only 8:00 in the morning and I�m drinking Bellini�s and Mochiattos for brunch

Foot notes: Explain 5K�s and 10K distances in terms of miles
Explain a little bit about the history of running
Explain PB: It is not Peanut Butter, although peanut butter might also be around the corner. PB stands for Personal Best in this instance.
PB: Explain the rise of gadgets for running. It started with the digital watch

 

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