A few months back I was golfing with my brothers. We were on the heels of another group in front of us throughout most of the day. At one point we merged with the group as they were about to tee up. Then ensued a series of strange events. The woman at the tee pulled a long, fragile looking pole out of her bag. It looked almost like a walking cane for the blind….. but it wasn’t. As she turned and walked towards the tee box I then noticed a bulky contraption on the small of her back. It wrapped around her waistline completely and clasped in the front. I was one part curious and one part confused.
When it came time to tee off though things became clear. She walked up to the tee box with cane in hand and she jabbed at the ground gently in front of her. As she pulled the cane away I realized she had planted a tee in the ground with the assistance of the mysterious cane. As if I wasn’t baffled enough already, out came the real fireworks. Her right hand reached for a button on the bulky device that clung to her lower back and waist. As she pressed the button a golf ball popped out of a trap door in the machine and plopped on the ground in front of her. She gently bent over and placed it carefully on the tee. A few moments later she was swinging away.
That day I observed the complete mechanization of sport. That day I decided to take things back to the basics.
In the races that I’ve run in my life I’ve noticed a similar increase in what I’ll call the mechanization of endurance running. It’s grown more common over time. No longer do runners toe the line with nothing but a smile on their face and a vision of the finish line in their mind. Sure, there are SOME runners that still do that but for the most part things have changed. With more and more frequency I instead see runners toe the line with every gadget and gizmo on the market. Let me start with some obvious examples.
iPods and Other Gadgets
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51405544@N00/2178869594/
In a recent marathon I purposefully tried to keep a rough count of how many people in the race had on headphones and an ipod. My best estimate is that roughly 30% of the runners did.
It baffled me given the context of it all. A group of 10,000 people had converged on the same city block in a random city along the Pacific Coast. They had all come from different parts of the country. And on that day they decided to meet and run, as a group, and cover great distances in search of personal strength, to test their understanding of their own limits, to honor and respect a loved one who was ill or had previously passed, or just to continue leading a healthy lifestyle. That morning the sky was blue, the sun was peaking over the horizon giving us a taste of the warmth it had in store for us that day, and the street corners were covered by curious and admiring spectators. Despite that backdrop, nearly 30% of the people plugged their ears with buds that blared the best of modern rock, hip hop, rock or whatever climbed to the top of their “favorites” list in iTunes.
Part of the beauty of running, for me at least, is appreciating the connectedness with your environment. You tune out all things in life that cause stress or discontent and you tune in to the simple value of smiles, spectators, the scenery and every inspiring detail of race day surroundings. For those of you looking for motivation to get through a race, please put down the headphones. During a race I’ve found myself stride to stride with amputee runners fitted with Prosthetics, senior citizens that redefine what it means to endure and live a long and healthy life, breast cancer survivors, mothers and daughters, brothers, best friends, and plenty others with a back story that no top 40 song can ever match.
Brand Name Workout Gear
Source: http://studenttravel.about.com/od/ujenabikinijamphotos/ig/Ujena-Bikini-Jam-Marathon/Ujena-Model-Marathon-Runner.htm
Another trend I’ve noticed involves the fashion savvy runners. How many of you have seen other runners with matching shoes, shorts, shirts, hats, socks and even matching accessories (such as a fancy ipod case to go with their ipod). $50 for the Nike dry-fit shirt. Another $45 for the shorts to complete the matching set. $135 for shoes with built in micro chips that relay information back to your ipod telling you speed and distance traveled. Designer watches that keep track of your heart rate and allow upload of the data to computer software to log the running for you. $400 GPS watches. The list can go on and on.
What happened with getting sweaty and dirty and not caring about it? Why is it that some runners show up on race day looking like they fell straight out of a Macy’s catalogue? Since when do you need to put on makeup to run 13.1 miles on a Sunday morning?
The point is that running is not about having the latest and greatest. I actually think none of that actually helps you perform better anyhow. The point is we’re dealing with a sport that is simple and pure by nature. You don’t need special gear to compete in this sport. Actually, you don’t need gear at all. It’s not like football or baseball where specialized equipment is a mandatory part of the game. To run it only requires one thing: the conscious decision to do so. Similar to the ipod, I think that the bells and whistles interfere with the organic experience of running and offer little to no value in terms of performance and enjoyment.
Next time you set out on a training run or lace of the shoes for a race, remember what you’re there for. Remember that it doesn’t matter what brand you wear or how accurate the GPS is on your watch. What matters is that you’re able to get up and run that day.
Why this is a Call to Action and not a Tirade
This is not about bashing other runners. My point is not to try and prove that they are somehow misrepresenting the sport of running and detracting from what running should be. Taking running back to the basics is about trying to reveal the best that running has to offer. I think that we should all take our running back to the basics because that’s when the real value comes out. Each weekend I put on shoes and shorts, tie my hair back with a old ratty bandana, grab a water bottle and some snacks and head to the nearest hiking trail. From there I set out on a run with no specific distance or pace goal in mind. No music. No cell phone. No GPS watch. No comforts of the local gym.
I bring the bare essentials with me and hit the trail with a clear mind. The concerns of everyday life disappear as I disappear down the trail.
What are your thoughts? Do you find that running with iPods and the best gear actually makes the experience more enjoyable? We would love to hear your opinion!
Great article Andy! One thing I love so much about running is that you don’t need much – you can strip it down to the basics and its as good or better. Nice call in getting us all to remember the simplicity of our sport!
(Just now found this website too, it looks great and has tons of great advice!)
Thanks for the supporting words! I’m glad you enjoyed the article and others on the site. From a runner’s point of view, simpler really is better
Thank you for this incite, very good wake-up call! I am “new” to running and have mostly been doing my runs via ipod :/. Granted I’m still being physically active, so it isn’t the worst thing lol. BUT….When I took your advice, it was more than a run!! It was a stream of connection to what was around me. A handful of people were out at that early hour and it was really neat to be able to exchange well-wishes and little comments about the day with them. Also, to hear all the wildlife out and about chipping away at trees cracking the brush. Very nice change to my “in the pod” runs.