The Daily Mission question over at dailymile.com yesterday was "Are you for / against / or neutral on running related bumper stickers? For example 26.2 ovals, 13.1 ovals, Ironman, or ULTRA ovals"
It generated a bit of high spirited conversation on the twitterverse. Most of the tweeps/daily milers/facebook fans responded that there is no problem with being proud of one's accomplishments and if they want to get a bumper sticker to that fact, who does it harm?
But I'm not writing to weigh in on that question.
There was, of course, a contingent of athletes who pooh-poohed such emblems saying either that a half marathon wasn't really all that significant or that it is unbecoming to brag. I was intrigued that such opinions were out there and did a little more digging around via google. What I found is that there is a small but vocal groups of runners that disparage the recreational and fitness runners.
But I'm not writing to weigh in on that question either.
What I want to say is this. I love being a runner. I will always be a back of the pack guy. I will never win a race, never win my age group and probably never accomplish what some may see as recognized achievements. I'll never qualify for the Boston Marathon, for example. I'm ok with that. Because running not something I feel I need to master or be the best at.
I am a runner who will always be on the sidelines of the conversation and never really part of the gang. I participate in the online community of runners as a perennial wall flower. And I love it. I love reading other people's race reports and training log. I love to read about other people's accomplishments. I quietly celebrate their achievements. I don't know what a tempo run is or the significance of a series of repeats, but I love reading that those I follow share that online.
And I love that many in this community have taken the time to stop by here and say a few words or send me an ataboy on Twitter when I share about my 5K experiences.
This is where the questions of stickers and accomplishments have taken me. When I see a car with 26.2, I feel lucky to be part of this community--even when I am too heavy to actually be out there running with them in spirit. Even when I know I barely make a blip on many runners' radar.
To those runners I follow on twitter or have friended on Daily Mile, and to those who have followed me back and taken time to drop by my little blog here, I say thank you. You inspire me. Every day.
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Here here! I'm not quick, I don't do tempo runs (I plod), my trainer occasionally makes me do hill and sprint repeats and then I feel sick, but I am never going to voluntarily run a marathon. But I endlessly admire those who do. And I feel honoured when some of them read my stuff in return and encourage me, because they understand that what I do is a challenge for me, and my own personal success. And I don't think we should let anyone else tell us otherwise!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is so well-written and echoes my feelings as well. I am happy to be one of your followers and glad also to be a wall-flower in this running community.
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog post! I somehow missed out on that daily mile/twitter debate and am now happy that I did. I had a 26.2 mile sticker on my prior car because I was so proud that I finally completed that distance after so many setbacks. I'm not fast... I run for fun and stress relief and because "exercise does a body good". Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSorry everyone for my lateness in responding. Life gets in the way sometime.
ReplyDelete@Starfish Can you tell me what a tempo run is? Thanks for commenting. Feeling honored is exactly how I feel too.
@Big Clyde I am happy you are here and glad we keep in touch base with each other over at DM. We wall flowers need to stick together (I just had an image of a bouquet of wall flowers)
@Samantha Thanks so much for stopping by! The debate really wasn't as bad as I may have made it sound. Most of the runners I follow (and I think our twitterverses have a lot of overlap) were of the opinion that there was nothing wrong with it. Those who didn't like the practice were quick to say to each their own. There were one or two negative remarks and I had to do some follow up and searching to find the really judgmental runners.