Wizards First Rule

Every Runday my alarm goes off before the city is awake. I always lay in bed for about a minute and wonder if I should just sleep in. I can run later. I don't need to go get my ass kicked on a level 10 hill. I don't need to train this hard. I'm not really training for anything. Sleep is an important element of training.

And most Rundays, I tell the inner voice of sense and reason to STFU. I roll out of bed and go. I have run in sleet, rain, and bitterly cold conditions; I ran up hills that made me want to cry. 

But I ran.

On Rundays I run because I want to, no one is making me, except me.

I have nothing to prove, I'm not training for anything. I do this for fun, and because, even though they don't know me, I like running with Those People I Don't Know. 

Except there was a moment this week when I didn't like Those People. Recently, for the first time since joining Those People I Don't Know at Rogue, I had someone try to belittle my efforts.

Silly boy. Don't you know who I am? 
I'm charming...

The man in question reminded me of Draco Malfoy.  Essentially he represented everything that Harry Potter and Q and Coach Black are not. 

He was an arrogant snob. He acted though the fact I have not qualified for Boston made me less of a runner than him. Gosh, what would he have said if I'd admitted my marathon PR is a 4:09? He. might. have. died.

This attractive man sat beside me at a table with his back to me, talking pointedly to everyone except me. The deep frown etched into his face was only lifted when it was replaced by an unnatural smile for a camera. When he could not avoid speaking directly to me, he coated every word with disdain and thinly veiled sarcasm. At some point I realized he was judging me.  

Shortly after that I thought, "and he clearly thinks I'm not bright". How fascinating.

Additionally, he made it clear that as one of the "Dead Ass Last" crew, I was unworthy of his time and attention.

I confess:  There was a nanosecond where his low opinion of me hurt my feelings. I thought, If I was only (better, a BQ, skinnier, taller, nicer, prettier, more charming...) then he would (like me, respect me, acknowledge me, at least be civil to me).

And then I looked into his unhappy dead eyes and thought, I'm enough. His bad behavior shows far more about him and his lack of (grace, manners, happiness) than it does about me and my lack of (nothing). 

Isn't the first rule we teach our children in life is to treat others with respect? How did he miss that one growing up?

Because let's get real, if I was any smarter, better, nicer, or more charming, the world would not be able to handle it. As it is, I am intimidating as all hell.

Draco Malfoy may be an exceptionally gifted wizard who runs a blistering fast marathon and all that rot, but he's an unhappy small man who is missing out on the things life has to offer. My innate happiness must irritate the piss out of him. 

I laugh when I get high, and I get high when I run. I smile freely, and I am gracious to those in the Back to Last crew who come back for me when I am Dead Ass Last. I work hard to be better for my own personal satisfaction. I couldn't care less about Draco Malfoy's opinion of me.

I am enough.

~ Respect ~

Pace is Overrated

“I’d love to run with you ladies some time, but I probably can’t hold your pace.”

These are words I hear often.

and

These are words I DREAD.

Pace is overrated.  Pace should not be the END ALL deciding factor in whether or not you are able to join a group.  The fact is, if someone wants to run with someone else badly enough, they’ll make it work, regardless of pace.  Pace is overrated.

In my group we run a variety of paces.  We are all training for different things.  Our lives are all at different places, and that does not matter.

We aren’t fast.  We aren’t slow.  We are runners.

A running coach of mine told me that he overheard Olympic medalist Frank Shorter say his group always just runs "the pace of the slowest runner who shows up that day."

I agree with Frank. Pace is overrated. The long run is about time with friends.

Success is not measured in pace for me these days.  When in nursing school, just lacing on shoes & walking out the door is a success.  Anything else is a bonus. 

Are their times when a run is about pace?  Sure thing.   But if I invite you to run with me, and you show up:  then that run is not about pace.

So. 

Can anyone who wants come run with us? 

No.

We are an exclusive group.

The people we discriminate against are mean people, folks who enjoy gossip, and individuals who drop cutting remarks.

Beyond that, we're pretty flexible.  We run together.  We take the periodic walk break as needed.  We offer to share TP.  And GU.  We add on the extra .2 because one runner needs the .2 to make her goal of the week.

We aren't fast or slow.  We are runners.  Pace is negotiable.

What flavor?

"Are you injured?"

The question startled me for some reason.

As that person stood there expectantly waiting for my answer, I realized he asked because he wanted to know.  Not because he would launch into a lecture about how I will destroy myself running, or because he was judging me for running back to back marathons, as the non-runners in my life often do, but because he was curious.

I'm an injured runner.
If runners are ~weird~, injured runners are ~FREAKING Neurotic~ and ~weirdly defensive~.

I folded my pride into a little square and neatly tucked it into my back jean pocket.

"Yes" I admitted.  "I'm sentenced to pool activities for a few weeks."

It pleased me when the sympathy that flooded his face was quickly replaced with wisdom and a wry smile.  "The best pool for aqua jogging is this pool.  They play music in there so you won't go crazy.  Oh, and rig your iPod *this* way.  That way you can have music if you need to Jog in a Y pool."

Visiting Coach Naked Black chimed in, "Oh, and I used to bribe the life guards to talk to me."

Coach Black is always good for a smile.

The Y life guard is male.  The pool is rather nippy, er, chilly.  If I want conversation, I probably won't need to bribe anyone.  Just sayin'.

All this talk of aqua jogging, swimming and coming back stronger helped me realize something.

Being injured once in a while is part of being a runner.  The fact that GBA has been a relatively injury free team is probably more luck than anything else.

How one handles an injury determines what kind of runner they are...

Do you give up and take up roller blading or shuffle board?  Do you embrace your injury and convalescence, consoling yourself with thoughts like, "is there a flavor of ice-cream that will make today more bearable?"  Or do you fret for 12 hours before stepping back to figure out exactly which track will get you back to your drug of choice running with the least amount of lost fitness.  I know what kind of runner I am...  I'm the kind who "just keeps swimming".

By the end of my encounter with Those People, I had 20 different ways to aqua jog from several seasoned aqua jogging runners, suggested places to do said jogging, and reassurance that if I do it right, I can get back out there as strong or stronger than ever.

And the best news?  With a glint in his eye, Coach Black added in, "Swimming will tone you from top to bottom."

Thanks Coach.  I'll make sure to stop eating junk food so that we can ALL appreciate that toning later this year when it's time to run clear.

~savor the run~

Uniform Rules

Dear "Those People",

Please accept my sincere apologies for not properly calling "You People" out when I passed you while I was running a few weeks ago.

I consider myself a SHINING example of the ART of using proper run etiquette.  For me to have missed an opportunity to call You People out in a loud early morning mock-up of good cheer is very unlike me.  very.

I can appreciate that it must have been devastating for You People.

Please allow me to recommend a good Therapist to help you overcome the rejection.

And, not to make excuses, but I think I know the source of the problem....

Have you ever run into someone you run with, near, or past at a social event and not recognized them?  It happens to me all the time.

When I run, I wear outfits that look like this....

or

this....

and because my uniform is so well known, my fans friends are able to find me in a crowd.

But when people run into me wearing "real clothes", they don't usually know what to think.  Occasionally they've been known to walk right past me without even saying "hello".

Well, "Those People", when "Us People" ran past you the other day, you looked like a group of runners who were familiar but unknown to me.  So I believe I gave the standard low key 3/4 wave and nod, but I guess "You People" didn't see it....

The problem being, when you're The Richmond Elites known for running around RVA in black shorts and running shoes and nothing else, you're completely unrecognizable wearing clothing....

(Huh, that sounded so much less interesting in my head...)

Bray modeling the new
threads

I mean seriously, if This Reflective Person had run into me on the street I'm pretty sure I would have never recognized him, despite the fact that he's mocked me on too many occasions to count...


because now that the weather has turned, he's wearing a shirt....  

So I don't want to make excuses for my etiquette fail, because I usually wave at all runners.  I will do my best to modify my behavior.  And, to be clear, I appreciate the efforts You People have gone through to ensure that You will not be denied a GBA_gf greeting with the adoption of your new Uniform.

Of course, I fully recognize that You People were so inspired by my Dress Code Rules that you selected an appropriate and ~epic~ Uniform of your own.

In the mean time, again, please accept my very sincere apologies.

I promise, you will not escape unnoticed again.

and yes, the
new uniform rules.

regards,
gba_gf

(yeah, I know.  That last sentence reads like a little like a threat...)