One of the best
skateboarding songs ever written is "What's so strange about me"
by a band called Eight Dayz, fronted by the German skater Claus
Grabke. It goes on about how the skateboarder may be seen as an
outsider by the square community, but under the surface he is not so
weird after all.
The tune popped into my head
while I was on a run this morning, five miles from home, along a
muddy trail in the middle of a rainstorm. It was the terminus of a
train of thought that began with the idea that there are probably a good few people who'd consider my desire to run in such conditions for a
couple of hours is, well, a bit weird.
Surely the more sane
option would be to sit inside, staying warm and dry – and in close
proximity to food and drink.
The notion that
long-distance running is a bit strange is an often repeated one –
for every runner that plods the earth, there is someone to ask them “why the hell do you
want to run all that way?” Some runners revel in it; by way of
proof, witness the number of “I'm mad, me” folks at an obstacle
race. It's one of the reasons why I can't stand them; the clip-on
wackiness of the events makes me want to spew.
And there is an
argument that some runners really are a little bit odd – let's face
it, the participants in a 24-hour track race are not wired the same
as the rest of us.
Scott Jurek, a legend
of ultramarathon running, does little to dispel the stereotype in his
book Eat and Run, when he writes about the build-up and duration of
the world 24-hour championships. The relentless focus and wide-eyed
admission that he was going to be bored out of his skull, hurting
like anything and frequently miserable for no reason other than to
stay on his feet for 24 hours made me think he and his fellow racers
are not of this earth.
Not that choosing to
run in an oval for an entire day is a bad thing; it is clearly not
for everyone though.
But I digress. Trail
running, for however long a distance, is also considered a bit odd by
those who think runners are all health freaks (ha! One of the main
reasons I run is so I can eat more pork scratchings) and there are a
lot better ways to spend a rainy morning.
But it's not. I may be
biased, but I'd say that running through a forest or up and down a
hill for a few hours is pretty high on the list of the sanest things to do with
your spare time.
Here are five reasons
why:
1. You are exercising
Apparently that is good
for you.
2. You are exploring
Even on trails you have
run on before, weather conditions and seasons can make the
surroundings different. On one day you might notice the yellow of the
leaves on trees, on another you might see that the horse in the field
has a weird looking nose. And if you take a wrong turning, you have
the added bonus of seeing something completely new. If you do happen
to get bored while running, then it is worth thinking of what RickyPaugh, an ultrarunner and Four Deserts finisher who was in the film
Desert Runners, told me: You should always try to get over the next
hill, because who knows what's on the other side?
3. You are helping your
mind
I've gone on about this
in other posts and there have been all sorts of studies and anecdotal
evidence about how long-distance running (especially outdoors) can help people
de-stress, settle their minds or even take control of mental illness.
4. It makes you hungry
No contest, one of the
best things about running is eating like a monster afterwards.
5. It can get you high
Look, even the New YorkTimes says so.
So next time someone
asks what is wrong in the head with those darn trail runners, just quote
those Eight Dayz lyrics to them: What's so strange about me?
