morning bells are ringing …
For Christmas this year, I offered my little brother an expert shoe fitting at our local Fleet Feet along with a “professional” (me!) 13-week training program to help him become a runner. Like Terri, my brother is diffiult to buy for because he is working on not “wanting” anything. I’m actually quite jealous of him right now as he’s in mad pursuit of spiritual enlightenment - like I was in my 20’s when I read Sartre, Camus, Heman Hesse, Thomas Merton; watched countless Vittorio de Sica films, and Ingmar Bergman (dahhhling, you must see Wild Strawberries if you call yourself educated). I recently convinced my brother, John, to rent My Dinner with Andre - claiming it was #1 in my all-time top ten movie list - but he couldn’t make it through because Andre’s voice bugged him. “I love Wallace Shawn,” he said, “but he never talks.” He listens.
John also declined my offer to coach him, honestly confessing, “I’d like to, really I would, and I do know what a generous present this is …. but it sounds like too much work,” which got me to thinking about how I have proselytized for running my entire life. I might as well have dressed up in a white shirt, black slacks & tie and gone door-to-door like the Mormons. Only difference is, my “mission” has lasted 25 years, not 2. What is it about running (and runners) that makes us all go out and preach the gospel? How many times have I begun a sentence with “You should run …” fill in the blank with any race, or trail, or work-out that I love. Maybe it’s just human nature to want to share, but I think there’s more to it. Most runners I know (not those who run to burn calories or work on body beautiful; I call those runners “exercisers”) use running to make meaning in their lives. It truly is not that far removed from organized religion.
Just yesterday I was out on a trail with a friend who said, “Yeah, I go to church - every Friday out here (on the trall) for two hours.” So, you can understand my impulse to give John running as part of his vision quest. Is it the discipline, the solitude (and its flipside, communion), the ritual, the prayer, meditation? What?
I need to ponder this some more.
In the meantime, maybe a membership to Netflix is a better Christmas gift idea for brother John.
Are you sleeping,
are you sleeping,
Brother John?
Not anymore.
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- Albert Camus
Comment by GG (sent off-line) — 12/15/2006 @ 9:58 am
We used to consider running our religious experience when I was in high school and college. Now, it is just a lifestyle choice and I do not try to justify it.
The NetFlix idea is a good one; preload his queue with Running on the Sun, Without Limits, A Race for the Soul, Prefontaine, Chariots of Fire, etc etc…maybe you can still convert him without being as preachy about it…heheh.
Comment by Blaine Moore (Run to Win) — 12/15/2006 @ 10:01 am
I am NOT a proselytizing runner, but there’s a very good reason for that - it’s because my proselytizing WORKS. I tend to infuse enthusiasm. The problem with this is that, when I move on, the folks behind me seem almost invariably to lose that enthusiasm, and so it seems to me that I’m propping them up to be what *I* want them to be; when I’m not there any more, who they really are takes over again.
And I am a NetFlix stock owner - not much, but as soon as I heard of them (many years ago now) I bought stock because I really, really like the way that they do bidness. I wasn’t trying to make a profit - just trying to support something I liked
Comment by Fat Charlie the Archangel — 12/15/2006 @ 12:34 pm
That Camus fellow is smarter and a better writer than I am. But as corollary, I often assert that one of the best kind of friends is a running friend, and having running friends is a great reason to keep running.
Also, can I substitute Ingrid for Ingmar? I’d really like to get Casablanca in there.
P.S. Am trying to picture you in black slacks, white shirt, black tie, knocking on my door with a thick, book in your hand. I may need to reach for amber colored beverage. I think you’ve been more than effective in sneakers and sweats.
Comment by Eric — 12/16/2006 @ 10:32 pm
Fat Charlie and I are about as different as two people of the same gender can be. Even in this case our reasons seem to differ, but like Fat Charlie I don’t proselytize for running. (I don’t proselytize for anything else either). I’ve been running on and off (mostly on) since 1970 and have never proselytized for running. Recently I’ve again become a bad advertisement for running — usually walking with at least something of a limp and every run has been very uncomfortable even when nothing is actually hurting. Resting doesn’t seem to help, just makes me unfit and sore rather than just sore.
Comment by Dave C. — 12/17/2006 @ 8:07 pm