So, I actually blogged last weekend, but I didn't like the final result so I didn't post it. Actually, I am always blogging. From the time I wake up, til the time I go to bed, I am constantly blogging. You just can't see it. And that would be because I am too lazy to open the lid on my laptop and put my thoughts into type. But tonight I have some free time because the little one has gone to bed early, and well, I am fired up.
Today's topic: When did Facebook become a runner's forum?
Oh, come on. If you are reading this blog, you more than likely got here through Facebook. And that means you probably have at least a handful of friends on Facebook who are the run posters. You know, the ones who log on daily to tell you how far they ran that day...
"Suzy Snodgrass: 'I just ran 8.5 miles uphill both ways with a pack of wild dogs chasing me and one shoe with a broken shoelace. I feel amazing!'..."
Now you know who I am talking about, right?
When did it become so en vogue to post about running? What's so great about running? Everybody can run. It's like walking, only faster. And it kills your knees. But apparently, if you're not doing it, you're not cool.
In the late 80s, my mom was really into aerobics. She went on to become a certified instructor and taught classes a few nights a week. My dad was into athletic clubs and the latest stationary exercise equipment. I try to imagine if there had been Facebook back then. Back in the day when women wore the silky neon tights under leotards with really high leg holes. The days of leg warmers and sweatbands. Could you imagine people taking their cameras into their aerobics studios? Snapping selfies in that ridiculous garb? "Hey, I'm at the club doing my aerobics!"
But here we are, 3 decades later, where the exercise of choice has turned into local 5K or half marathons every single weekend with the obligatory Facebook pictures pre and post run "Here I go!" and "I did it!"...
Today there are runs for everything. Festival runs, charity runs, zombie runs, color runs, mud runs, obstacle runs, marathons, biathlons, triathlons... Pick one. You're a rock star. They give you a medal just for showing up. Just like youth soccer! Everybody gets a trophy!
Look, I am not a runner. I hate it. It's boring. I was a cheerleader all through high school and have the knees of a 95 year old. Every step I take up a staircase is fraught with snaps and crackles from my kneecaps. So I'm not going to pound the pavement. And what I really don't need is the proverbial finger wag from all the people who do run. I'm not talking about people who have decided to make a change in their lives and have started running to meet a goal. I'm talking about the people who eat, breathe, and live to run, and to tell you about it.
The weird thing about it is, I have a very diverse group of Facebook friends. I have some very talented, amazing athletes in that mix. And the people who are the Iron Man-level athletes are the ones who rarely post about their training/running. They don't come on every day and say, "Well, I ate a 4 oz grilled chicken breast with 2 oz of steamed broccoli and washed it all down with a glorious 6 oz of lukewarm water". Because that would be obnoxious. And humble athletes are not obnoxious.
Obnoxious. That's a good word. I don't need to hear every day how far you ran, if that is the only thing in your life that gives you joy. Please work on finding other things in your life to make you a more rounded person. Could you carry on a conversation with anyone who doesn't run? It's an interesting question.
Why not spend that time talking about Jesus? How much time you spent in prayer this week? Oh I don't like to talk about religion on Facebook. What are your thoughts about gay marriage? Oh, I really don't like to talk about that stuff on Facebook. What about teen sex and abstinence or safer sex? Oh I don't like to use Facebook to talk about personal issues. How about politics and where you stand and would like for our country? Oh, I don't like to talk about politics on Facebook. How about what you do for a living? Oh I hate my job, and my boss wouldn't like me talking about work on Facebook.
Hmmm... Well that's too bad. I guess we'll just keep reading how many miles you made it today. And you'll keep waiting for us to hit the "Like" button.
All things Olive:
WEN haircare
Botox (!)
Fall weather
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