.Newsletter 003
Runners WRLD.
It’s hard to say if I would be a “Runner” if I wasn’t a full-time Wheelchair User.
I doubt I would be, if I’m being honest with you.
There were for sure years of me not using a chair when I was younger, decades even.
I never ran then.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m eager for new communities…
Ever since I closed my Store in 2022, and I stopped being able to give all the kids Hoodies and Shop Boards for free. They have no reason to talk to me anymore, I have nothing to offer them, I barely blame them.
I used to get pretty annoyed by Sara’s extreme obsession with running.
Not actually annoyed, not annoyed enough to ever fight about. Annoyed enough to make constant criticisms about it though. Annoyed enough to not have her run friends on my Podcast until recently, and enough to have never volunteered at any of her friend’s events until a few nights ago…
Have you ever had to wake up to 3 different alarms, in 9 minute intervals, on your day off? Or drive to multiple Running Room locations in rush hour traffic just to get the right gels? Or not been able to close your laundry room door due to the insane number of mud-caked pairs of Pegasus Trails that are in the way?
Don’t get me wrong, Sara and all her friends are absolute freaks. I mean, they would have to be…
I spent my youth doing graffiti, easily the least thanked sub culture to ever exist.
My next obsession was skateboarding…
I still practice analog photography, I still (very) occasionally make zines.
I drank every day for almost 20 years.
I’m definitely not opposed to throwing time away on hobbies that might not make a lot of sense to most other people.
So maybe they aren’t freaks, at least not in a pejorative way.
It’s probably more likely that I just didn’t understand the Run Community until recently.
Not to say that I even remotely understand the inner workings of it all. I’ll admit my grasp on it is pretty tenuous, even on good days.
I will say, however, that the tenacity, motivation, work ethic, and respect for one another that almost every Runner I’ve met through Sara tends to relentlessly practice day-to-day is pretty hard not to respect. It’s hard not to admire.
I let Sara read this earlier today, ahead of me publishing it.
She says that if I can go into specifics about my grievances with running, I should be able to do the same with the things I’ve come to like about it.
Completely fair.
I haven’t really seen the type of support that Runners unconditionally give each other exist in such multitude anywhere else before, I’m definitely not saying that this is the only subculture where people have each other’s backs. I’ve seen first hand how a Runner will amp-up and motivate a fellow Runner though, regardless of if they’ve just met for the first time, or if they grew up together. and it’s pretty inspiring.
I think Runners, for the most part, have an insatiability that is also rarified these days.
I really wonder if any of them have ever slept a full eight hours even once in their adult lives?
I can honestly say that I’ve never met a group of people so opposed to taking a day off. I’ve never met a group of people so quick to set a new goal immediately after reaching their last one.
I could keep going, for a bit at least, that’s probably good though?
I’m not too sure what I’m getting at here.
I guess I’m going on record, to publicly admit that after years of me avoiding it, I am now quite a big fan of (most aspects) of running, and subsequent running lifestyles.
Purely as an outsider looking in, again.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my lovely partner, and all of her friends for any and all disparaging remarks I may have allegedly made about the sport and community here under discussion.
As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t helped out with any of Sara’s friend’s events until a couple weeks ago. A friend of her’s (and mine too) hosted a Night Run at the end of October.
I volunteered to take photos of participants at the “Turn Around Point”.
I had never taken this kind of photo prior this this event. It was new for me. I didn’t hate it, I had a lot of fun actually. I wasn’t good at it at all though. I’ll be the first to say that.
Here’s a couple that “worked out”, if you can even call it that…
The only other things I’ve learned about the sport, after years of exposure to its inner circle’s gossip and news, are:
One, this is hands down one of the most Badass photos ever taken. All photos of Terry Fox are in-fact incredible. I highly recommend looking into them the next time you find yourself bored on the internet.
And two, this Documentary about the Barkley Marathons is absolutely wild, a definite must see. I also really vouch for watching this whenever you have a spare 90 minutes.
It’s pretty much the reason I started to see running differently.
That’s it actually.
I won’t make you read any more of my inner thoughts and realizations on marathon running.
I’m surprised you made it this far to be honest…
Enjoy the rest of your week!