Running, man!

1,000,000,000 running enthusiasts can't be wrong, can they?

Im in my mid to late twenties. These are the first days of the summer of my life.

Strange things are starting to happen to the people our age.

People are having babies.
People are getting hitched.
People are dying (the longer we live, the more people we know that will die- a morbid reality.)

People are running. For fun.

To me "running for fun" is as oxymoronic as "root canal for fun," or "argue with your spouse for fun," or "credit card debt for fun."

I've heard that you get "runner's high" and of course there's the cardiovascular health benefits, but man I'd rather be flayed alive than run when I dont have to. I dont even like to walk fast.
Whenever I'm driving around and I see a runner, it takes the force of my entire being to refrain from rolling my window down and yelling "Hey you, what are you running from?" Ask Carrie, she'll tell you.

I'm hearing of more and more people putting the rubber to the road, running marathons, half marathons, 10Ks etc.
I played basketball for many years so I know all about sprinting as a means to achieve a desired result. Running fast increased my odds of winning. But unless you're Kenyan, you're not going to win--and the Kenyans show up to all races, big and smal. And the Kenyans win every time. Probably without even trying.

If you see these guys, you're done, son!

So why would you enter a contest you can't possibly win? Why would you run just to run, without aim?

As we enter our quarter life crises, we need something to break the monotony, so we start doing things they've never done before. Make a baby. Marry a spouse. Some people start clubbing, some people start lifting weights, some people start running.

Your quarter-life crisis is like a creepy guy at the bar- you can turn your back on him but he'll still be there when you turn around. Drink up ladies!

When I was in the midst of my contest prep diet, people would ask me- why are you doing this?
For the challenge I suppose.
As young people our lives were filled with hurdles. Middle school. SATs. Graduate from High School. Finish College. Find a career. In our late 20's we've plateaued. We've hurdled the hurdles. Mediocrity meanders in. We concede to complacency.

I had to put this in the perspective of the Iron Game. I'm sure that entering a sweaty gym filled with the sounds of clanging metal plates and grunting is strange to some people. Lift the weight, put it down, lift it up again, put it down again, rinse, repeat. When you think about it, it is actually pretty weird.
But I feel most alive when I step foot in my arena. For an hour or so I'm completely alive, completely present, engaged. I'm making a difference in my own being. I am a gladiator facing the challenge. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED! You will feel alive when you are moving weight that you once considered immovable. You are exhilarated when you've racked the weight after the 20th vertigo-inducing rep on squats that's left you near death.


It may not be my idea of a good time, but I suppose runners do it for the same reason.

So to Mike, Noemy, Patra, Jen, Christine, Lorna, and all my other friends who are out there getting their run on, I salute you*!

*But still, running? Agree to disagree. haha.