Consider the runner

Most people know what a runner is. I talk about it all the time. However, runners are much more in-depth than you may think. Sure, from a quick glance we are that half-naked, sweaty lunatic making their way down the road. But a runner isn't just the person that runs marathons in their free time, no..a runner is, technically, anyone who has both feet off the ground at the same time and a bend in their knees.

My Bib wall
(part of it)

A majority of runners share three common traits. Our shoes are the first. Those hideous, mismatched-colored trainers that have enough to rubber in the sole to fix a flat tire. There are thousands of trainers on the market, but everyone sticks with the three main brands: Saucony, Asics, and-more commonly found in Michigan-Brooks. The big three. Ask any runner what kind of shoes they have tried on and I guarantee one of those three names will show up. Number two of the three common tr
aits is calloused, torn apart, stench-ridden feet. Oh lord our feet are horrid. The constant pounding on concrete and wading through mud really takes a toll on our most prized possession(s). Don't believe me? Ask a runner to see their feet, you might just pass out. And finally, the third common trait of the runner is a wall filled with their race numbers. If you ever get a chance, ask a runner to see their wall of race bibs. It's quite fascinating, because each bib holds a memory. 

Anyways what I am trying to get at is that although runners by themselves seem like aliens, there are millions of us scouring the planet for a chance to run. Runners have been around from the beginning of forever. Cool story time!!! The term Marathon originated around 480 BC. A man by the name of Pheidippides ran from a city in Greece named Marathon to Athens in hopes of delivering a message. He died shortly after he reached Athens. The End. 

So here is a question that many people have asked me, and a question I ask myself everyday: Does a human willingly choose to surrender himself to extreme amounts of pain by running...for fun? Is it really willingly or is it a bandwagon? How much pain is there in running? IS IT EVEN FUN?! (I think it's pretty fun, but I also am called insane on a day-to-day basis)

I adapted this post from a piece called "Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace. Although, I changed his style of writing to one that suits myself.