A few days ago, Chad Stafko wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal, which you can find here, wondering aloud why runners find it virtually impossible not to scream from the rooftops: "I'M A RUNNER!!! I RUN LOTS!!! LOOK AT ME!!!" (except put in a far much more articulate way, of course).
Go on, read it. I'll be right here waiting.
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Read it? Good.
As you can imagine, the piece sparked outrage in the running community. There was even a rebuttal in Runners World, which quite frankly I found childish and quite cringeworthy.
So here's my rebuttal, which hopefully is fairly honest and actually assumes Mr Stafko actually has something going on between his ears, which the Runner's World piece sorely fails to do.
"What's with this infatuation with running and the near-mandatory ritual of preening about it?"
I'm not going to deny that there is a culture of "preening" (as Mr Stafko succinctly puts it) in the running community. Heck - I have a blog about it, I'm one of the worst offenders!
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| Medal selfie! |
Running is HARD. Sure, it gets easier, but it never gets easy. Running 10km is HARD. Running a marathon is HARD. So if I do something HARD, I want to give myself a little pat on the back, so I have the motivation to keep plugging away at it.
But it's not just the case with running. In 2006, I won the SBEA Award for the highest score in SQA Higher Administration in the country. That was HARD. Seven years later, I'm still riding that wave. That baby is still on my CV, I bring it up (semi)jokily in conversation whenever I can, and that little medal has pride of place on my shelf. Getting recognition for that award gave me the confidence I needed to study hard and get a First in my degree at uni (another achievement I'm proud of - sorry about that).
But you've got to celebrate your achievements. Whether it's mental, physical, whatever. If you don't find joy in your victories, then your life is going to be a long, hard and miserable road.
"When they're not out there sweating through the miles. they can relax with a running magazine... Runners World... Running Times, Trail Runner, Runner's Gazette and several others. Reading. About Running."
I like reading about my interests. Gosh, imagine that.
"Or these runners, when they're not running, can go shopping—at a running store...It sells only running equipment and apparel...This "equipment," of course, is nothing but shoes and clothes. You can buy these same shoes at a sporting-goods store or online, probably for much less...this apparel serves a clear purpose: We can look at them and immediately know that the person wearing it is a runner—perhaps even an accomplished one.
Here, Mr Stafko kind of has a point. You definitely can buy most things in a running store at online, or at another more general shop for much less.
Which is why I shop online, or in a more general sports shop, for my running gear.
Heck, it took me a over a year to actually get myself kitted out properly. And I certainly didn't get the stuff from a running store, when I could get it elsewhere for much cheaper.
Having said that, I do get my shoes from a running specialist. But thats not so I can smugly parade around town with my branded shopping bag looking like an accomplished runner, as Mr Stafko seems to believe.
The reason I go there for my shoes is because I have shitty feet. I need to get my gait analysed by a specialist, which are only found in these kind of shops, before I feel confident enough to make my purchase. Yes, it means the shoes are more expensive, but you are paying for that specific expertise. If it means I am going to avoid injury, then it's a premium I don't mind forking out for.
"Why would someone want to get up at 5 a.m. and run 10 miles...?"
Because I'm too shattered to go for a run after I come in from work. I do it first thing in the morning, because I actually have energy then and it's a great way to wake up.
Plus, I don't really fancy dying of a heart attack at 50.
"I have a theory. There is no more visible form of strenuous exercise than running. When runners are dashing down a street in the middle of town or through a subdivision, they know that every driver, every pedestrian, every leaf-raker and every person idly staring out a window can see them."
I don't know where Mr Stafko lives, but have you ever been outside at 5am?! The streets are DESERTED.
There's absolutely no one about. If I wanted to be seen by every Tom, Dick and Harry, I would choose a more "peak" time. And maybe consider putting some makeup on. The "halfway-through-a-run" look is not a pleasant sight.
So why do I not hide away in a gym and do my run on a treadmill to avoid offending people like Mr Stafko? Well, why the heck should I pay £25 a month to do something that I can do outside for free? That's what attracted me to running in the first place - you need hardly any equipment and don't need to drag yourself to a gym to do it.
"You can spot them, wandering through the mall or killing time at Starbucks, proudly wearing their "[Fill in the blank] 5K Run" T-shirts. They're getting what they want, without losing a drop of sweat."
If you spot me in a coffee shop with one of my old race t shirts, it doesn't mean I am showing off. It means I haven't done a wash cycle in a while and I am running out of actual clothes to wear. I will also be wearing my old, greying knickers.
"I saw a great new bumper sticker the other day. It read 0.0. I'll take one of those, please."
This makes me feel really sad. It suggest to me that Mr Stafko doesn't want to run, purely because he doesn't want to be seen as a "runner".
That is really such a shame, because running is a great way to keep fit and could probably do wonders for his health. Don't sacrifice quality of life for the sake of a couple of cultural differences!
Chad, if you read this, come and do a 5km with me. I'll show you how good it feels - then we can put a selfie of our sweaty faces up on Facebook afterwards. :)
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| This could be YOU, Chad!!! |
