A visceral reaction
Do you love running? Are you ok with it sucking? Can you love something that sucks? Hmmm.
I had two Running Sucks-related interactions with strangers over the weekend that hit both ends of the pleasure spectrum.
First,
wrote a note about how hearing me speak about running on The Culture Study Podcast earlier this year not only helped her start running again, but even inspired her to write a brief benediction about her running experience. Very cool x2.The next one was when a friend of a friend was introduced to the title of this newsletter. Their reaction was an incredulous, “WHAT?” We were running together at the time, and I was somewhat taken aback. This meant that I proceeded to awkwardly stammer my way through a couple of minutes of verbalizing my entire running/coaching/life philosophy because simply explaining a joke to a stranger is always a fruitless endeavor.
However, I think the best jokes always have an element of truth in them. Running does suck. Ask any new runner! But I don’t think the suck is reserved for newbies.
Consider how two miles might be the whole run for a new runner, but an elite marathon group I know of doesn’t even include the first two warm-up miles in their long run workout plan. It’s because those miles suck, regardless of whether the sucky miles are 5-10% of your run or the whole damned thing.
Now I also experience the suck when I’m running double-digit long runs and running has consumed a large portion of valuable weekend time, or if I somehow don’t get to shoehorn a run into my schedule, leaving me wanting. And dragging myself out of bed to run (or worse: to get to a race) will always suck.
Add to that: lost toenails, torn tendons, a rogue DNF. That’s all serious running, and it all seriously sucks, but we keep coming back. It’s love, even if it sounds like an abusive relationship.
It’s why I say that we might not necessarily love running per se, but we love what running gives us: the lessons running helps us learn; we love where running takes us; and we love how running makes us feel. Celebrating all of those things has always been the focus of this newsletter.
Maybe that is the act of loving running, though. Or maybe that’s the act of trusting the process, doing the frequently unenjoyable work, and then reveling in the fruits of your labor. For me, much of the beauty in running comes from acknowledging how difficult the thing you’re doing is, and eventually seeing the results of showing up however consistently.
Sometimes, I do wonder if I’m over-thinking all of this, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on this ramble. Does running suck?? If so, what parts?
Click this button listen to the episode of
about whether running culture sucks or not on Spotify. If you have a different podcast experience that doesn’t invest in AI military drones, that’s a smart move.On a personal note, last week I also reached the very cool milestone of 4,000 people subscribing to this newsletter. The thing I really love about that is the purity of you being here because of this work.
I’d never written about running before March 2023, so there were no bylines in bigger publications or years-old social media followings to point you towards here. I started this as a very personal project, simply because I love both running and writing equally.
Basically: thanks for reading, everyone. You’re real ones.
Last week on Running Sucks
I wrote about Masala Milers, an incredibly cool run crew in New York that has created a space for and by the South Asian community — something that never existed while I was growing up.
Running Sucks Haiku of the Week
Increasing mileage
Just to get back to normal.
Twenty miles a week?
That’s either a lot of distance or not a lot depending on who I speak to. I like having a broad church of running friends to talk to about running, even though I’m far more likely to run with the 10-12 min/milers than the 7-8 min/milers. Either way, I’m slowly ramping up my mileage again while desperately trying to keep my body healthy, flexible, and strong. Fun, isn’t it?
I feel like the correct move towards strength training in recent years to aid the “strong” part and the increased recent move of runners into Hyrox are not unconnected. Musings on that to come, and I’d love to hear your thoughts first!
Housekeeping
CONVERSATIONS IN LONDON - August 12-14 will see in-person events at Runlimited. Please come and join the conversations!
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I've been running since I was in middle school, and while I used to sometimes think that running sucked, I've changed my mindset. I've been pregnant three times, given birth twice, had surgery, and partially tore ligaments in my knee. All that time away from running has made me appreciate it a whole lot more. I never have to run--I get to run. Running is sometimes hard, but it's also my favorite thing and one of my happiest places to be.
Running sucks but not running sucks far more
(Source: Icing a temperamental achilles on the sofa as I type this lol)