1.16.2015

A Response to the Zelle Article from Another Non Marathon Runner

There was a lot of chatter on social media after Zelle published the piece 'No Marathon for me, Thanks' from JoAnn Novak.  Most of the uproar, however, came from those who have run a marathon.  Most notably, an applaud worthy piece from See Dane Run where he goes over each point JoAnn made and why it was sort of ridiculous.  It got me thinking, does everyone think that runners who shun the marathon feel this way?  I guess I shouldn't worry what other's think, but I felt like a non-marathoner should pipe up here, too!  So please, marathon friends (which comprise of about 95% of my running peeps), do not think that those of us who don't want to run a marathon all feel this way towards marathon runners.  I really like and appreciate what Zelle is doing, building a community for women runners.  And in reading the article, I think I could maaaaybe see where she was coming from on some of the points.

What I'm thinking she meant to say was...

On the "Oprah Effect" of people 'just finishing' marathons: I'm pretty confident I could 'just finish' 26.2.  Where the ire stems from, at least for me, is the frequent questioning if I'll ever run a full.  When I respond in the negative, the inevitable reply is that of encouragement and "Oh, you could totally run a marathon!"  Um, yeah, I'm pretty sure I could finish one.  Of course, my 'just finishing' would probably be in the six hour range.  To assert that Oprah was not competing with a 4:29 is LUDICROUS.  In summary, if you're a marathon aficionado, don't assume every runner's end game is to run a marathon and try to convince them to do the same.  (But, I can understand wanting to share your love of the distance, just as I want to share the love of running with others!  So I roll with it.)     

On marathoners being all: me! me! me!: Hmmm, okay...  The way I can make sense of this point is that if I ever did run a marathon, I'm afraid I'd be EVEN MORE of a running evangelist/annoying to all my non running friends.  I am already annoying!  OR, my friends know what's important to me and they are cool with it!  Just like some of my other friends are into Crossfit, or Zumba or freaking Elf on The Shelf!  Whatever!  I do try to keep most of my run talk to Twitter, where most of my run family resides.  But, if your friends can't deal with your effusive talk of running from time to time, they ain't yo friends.  Let us all try to remember this lovely little video:


On nothing to prove: I think that we all get where this comes from, as there have been many a blog post, or tweets, or whatever about only comparing yourself to YOU.  Everyone's on his or her own journey!  Run your own race! etc.  If you've been running for long enough and have never run a marathon, it sometimes feels like there's a bit of pressure to do so - see above re: much questioning from marathoners on 'when I'm going to run a marathon.'  It's hard not to fall victim to feeling as if we have something to prove to anyone but ourselves.

Bad for knees and heart: um, yeah, I got no interpretation for her point on this one.  There are so many articles to the contrary, with one quick Google search.  

Really, the only point that should have been made in this article is one: She doesn't feel it in her heart; the marathon is not meaningful to her.  I said this before, but I feel so much more of a connection with doing a run streak (hit day 236 today!).  It speaks to me, the challenge of making the time every day and committing to my daily meditation.  I'm a bit of a control freak, and being the mom of two small kids (really the mother of any number/any age children) will make you feel completely out of control.  Like, really, your life barely belongs to you anymore.  This one thing I can control on a daily basis keeps me sane.  And, I certainly may change my mind on the marathon.  Again, I've written about this before, but the Chicago Marathon would be a temptation.  It would be meaningful to me.  It would not be about 26.2 miles.  It would be about running the streets of my heart - for about five hours if I'm being on the hopeful side... 

7 comments:

  1. Congrats on your streak! I love checking in to see how it is going. Framing it in the way you did about getting your meditation time in everyday - not just about running - is perfect. I completely agree with the marathon having meaning. There is no other way a regular runner like me can get through that kind of training without having something else to draw from. I did my first last June and it was meaningful TO ME. Honestly though, I am having a really hard time goal setting for 2015. I don't want to run another, this year at least. But like you mention, reading about people who are running several marathons a year with a bunch of halfs in between makes me feel like a slacker. It is the double edged sword of social media.

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    1. congrats on your first marathon! I really do think it is such an accomplishment and that's why I totally get people wanting to talk about it on social media, I would, too :) But, yeah, it makes it seem as if EVERYONE is running one when it's truly some ridiculously small percentage of the general population.

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  2. Love this. I think for me the distaste I had for the article was that Zelle posted it. Like you, I love what they are doing for the women's running community. I just felt like it wasn't the right place for an article like that, especially since they are catering to runners of such a vast range. But freedom of speech is a thing (thank goodness) so I love that you were able to write your own opinion on the subject! My first marathon was huge for me, but it's not easy to devote that much time to training and then the actual running of the damn thing. That being said, I'm now training for my second marathon. Because I'm just that stupid :)

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    1. Hahaha! You're not stupid! I think that if I ever did run Chicago, I could see running a second elsewhere, because bettering our times is the constant and meaningful carrot that keeps us all going :)

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  3. I had not seen the Zelle article until this post, and I like your refute way better. It's pretty rude, especially the part about Oprah's time. Um hi, I run those times and I'm trying. Hard! I don't think everyone needs to run a marathon, but I agree the only point she should have made is that she doesn't feel it in her heart.

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    1. Yeah, I would be AMAZED to get Oprah's time if I ever ran a full! And I am just blown away that 'not feeling a connection/a personal goal' was not on her list.

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  4. Congrats on your amazing streak! I love the challenge of the marathon, but respect that it's not for every runner.

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