The Running Scene and Scenes in General

Skinny jogging pants, Nike and Adidas hats, anorexic men, band-aided nips, the occasional breath-right nasal strip, maybe some ipods, and then the beer garden. This is a generalization of the common scene you'll see after a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or God-forgive, a 26.2 mile race. OH, and I forgot bagels. Lots of bagels.

The chatter: "could've gone faster, but i've been at pretty high mileage for the past month" or "my knee's been bothering me, or I would've been up there."

Am I generalizing? Yes. Stereotyping? Yes. But stereotypes persist for a reason. Scenes are scenes are scenes. How many coffee shops have you driven by where gaggles of cyclists are hanging out sipping on a cup of joe and chattering about their ride? Or networking events for tech, business, or entertainment, where people thumb each other while getting loaded on over-priced mixed drinks, imported beer, and ego.

And I understand the importance of these events. And I understand the postive nature that scenes can have. Belonging is important, right brothers of Sigma Chi?

My point in writing on this particular topic is that we can all be better networkers, fraternity brothers, runners, if we acknowledge the scene we walk into. Scenes somehow tend to provoke competition and subsequently, self-importance. We try to prove things to others through talk. In the words of many, talk is cheap.

In my perspective, when I walk into scenes I try not to take them too seriously. And subsequently, I feel I am at my best. Looser, more honest, more fun, more effective. "Humble Pie" in the words of the New England Patriots, and the proof is in the pudding. I just try to remember, as scenes are scenes are scenes, my work is my work is my work.

Wasting Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnxJ6YxrYQ

Justin

78 Degrees and Sunny

Today was a fartlek day. That means I run fast and then slow and fast and slow, but just keep running. It's a fun workout for me because I can control when and how much I change my pace, while getting the aerobic benefits of a moderately-distanced run as well as the speed of a light interval workout.

It was nice because I wasn't bored, my mind wasn't spinning around in circles as it often does on regular runs, nor was I gasping for breath the whole time. In the end I was gasping, but throughout it was fairly smooth. California cherry blossoms in full bloom and summer on the horizon, my mind flash backed to the neighborhoods in Tampa where I began my running. Similar smells, similar feels.

In the movie, "Happy Gilmore," Adam Sandler is told by his golf coach to go to his "Happy Place." My apologies for sounding so corny, but this was sort of mine. Kind of like singing in the shower, running through quiet neighborhoods on clear afternoons has a unique solitude that I've appreciated since I began doing this thing. It's when you do something so much for a period of time, back off from it, and then go back to it and have the same positive feeling that you know you truly appreciate it.

The conclusion of a run and a day like this is the best. When it is all done with, you've cooled down, maybe done some stretching, grab a huge Gatorade, and then sit or lay or drive slow and play some good music. Sort of zen-like.

Tomorrow, maybe my agitated mind will use tomorrow's run to try to grapple with the AIG mess or Obama's selling of the economic bailout (he's in So Cal doing a town hall today and on Leno tomorrow). For now though, I'll use the ignorance-is-bliss card and go for a drive.

Serenity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-i_AcTz0UU Jack Johnson, Breakdown

Justin