There’s no denying that distance running is in the middle of a resurgence in popular American culture, and I feel like I've arrived at the party just when the band is warming up their amps and the kegs are being tapped. These days are a sort of renaissance for big races as marathons are literally popping up in all 50 states, becoming available somewhere every single weekend of the year. Just like a good party, people find their way to running for various and sundry reasons: wanting to lose 20 pounds, needing to satisfy a Type-A competitive drive, thinking it would be fun to get covered in powder or crawl through mud, feeling compelled to raise money for a charity.
For me? I sort of fell into running through a wonderful colleague in education who I didn’t know all that well but admired greatly. All it took was a quick “hey, do you want to train for a half marathon with me?” from her and the rest is history. There were definitely some bumps in the road during those early runs and more than a few times that I doubted my abilities, but today I can’t imagine my life without running and i’m so thankful to her for that initial invitation.
These blog posts, some 100+ now, were borne out of accountability in training for my first marathon back in the fall of 2010. That’s what I told myself, anyway, but I knew early on that they were more than a weekly check-in that helped make sure I crossed the finish line. Rather, they were a way for me understand self, to make sense of my own nature, and to find my place in the world. But none of these would have happened had I not completely fallen in love with running. I have been “one and done” with running, and writing as well. Today, there’s not a better part of each week than my Saturday morning long run, followed only by spending Sunday afternoon writing my thoughts and publishing them for anyone to read, affording me the perfect mix of anonymous and vulnerable exposure. At first, I think Cynthia Puckett was my only audience, and some weeks she probably still is, but with time people have slowly found my words. Sometimes a friend or acquaintance will graciously mention that they look forward to reading my posts each week, which leaves me dumbfounded and flattered at the same time. But the greatest conversations are when people mention that they have subsequently taken up running, albeit it slowly, having never considered it before. It’s like they got an invitation to that same party I did four years ago.
Three of these very conversations with different people happened this past week. One of them played out over Twitter, then a series of text messages, in about a 10 hour span. It went something like this:
Friend That’s New To Running: I read your blog and it makes me want to run a marathon.
Me: You should. Everyone should!
FTNTR: I ran six miles today but I need to go faster. How do I go faster?
Me: It will happen naturally, but you can do mid-week tempo runs to help. My advice would be to not worry about it.
FTNTR: I have like one thousand questions about running.
Me: Hopefully I have like one thousand answers.
.... a few boring technical exchanges, then the convo turns to food, which makes me happy...
FTNTR: So what’s good to eat after a long run?
Me: Chocolate milk. It’s the perfect mix of carbs and protein. At big races, they have those little cartons like we got when we were kids. I usually drink two like a hog.
FTNTR: I don’t really like chocolate milk.
Me: What the heck?? Okay, here are your options. Peanut butter, bagels, chicken, lean steak, cereal, PB+J, pasta, eggs, or basically whatever you like to eat.
FTNTR: I like the “whatever you like to eat option...”
This conversation made me smile, because I love that the people I know and care about dearly find running. I love to hear the progress they make, celebrating their accomplishments on social media outlets, and seeing them out logging miles for the joy of the sport. But it’s not a one-way street, as the gracious and kind words that my friends have for me serve as motivation to lace up one more time and get lost in a weekend 15 miler, or spend a late afternoon on a quiet trail, or cross the finish line in a mega marathon.
So thank you. Thanks to anyone who makes time in their day to read what I write, who reaches out with a great story or gentle word, says hi on the trails, or takes a picture at a race. Know that my sentiments match your’s and that i’m equally grateful. Welcome to the party.
Run.
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