simple life | bourgeois running
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
So I have been running regularly since the beginning of January. I’m not one to make new year resolutions, but after reading some inspiring words, I made a commitment to something: a half-marathon. My buddy Jonathan has been inviting me to races for the last 12 months, but I would never commit. I always wanted to do it, but would never make it happen by actually making the commitment.
I say all that as introduction to say…so I have been running.
So I have really been enjoying running, training for something, the working towards a goal has been rather good for a my soul (especially when the weather has been so drab, I needed to this to help keep me out of the rut). But there is this other side to it, I feel rather bourgeois.
It the simplest of terms,
- the need to exercise or the excess enough to be able or desire to run is rather bourgeois.
- I happen to own a collection of outdoor & running apparel (read: expensive fancy crap) from my younger days. I’m thankful for it, it gives me no excuse on those days of single digit or negative degree windchill with snow & ice on the ground—but the whole idea of specialty clothing is bourgeois. The laborer has his good jeans & his work jeans, translated the newest pair & the older pair.
- I slap my iphone (I could probably just stop there, right?) onto my arm, earbuds in—while I’m nerdy enough to listen to seminary lectures on the Old Testament while running, it is still pretty bourgeois. I can justify it by saying it also keeps track of my runs, but really it is a luxury; we ran just fine in high school without such things.
- The one bourgeois characteristic I have done my best to avoid, though I still succumb on occasion: location. Only the bourgeois can afford to get into their car, drive down the street or across town to then run around for a while at a park, then get back in their car and drive home (maybe stopping for starbucks on the way). I totally get the reason. Running in town—be it big city or suburb—is rough; lack of sidewalks, trying not to get run over, random loose dogs (seemingly always with foaming mouths), not to mention the mental toil of keeping up with all that while keeping a steady pace, with a loose body, & easy breathing.
This small list, that with additional thought could be no doubt expanded upon, might seem silly; it no doubt speaks of my desire to live a life {as best as possible} free from contradiction and compromise. But aren’t contradictions everywhere? How can anyone avoid them; why even care then?
I don’t think there is an easy solution; I mean I could simply scrap all the stuff or just not run. That would then either cause me to fail to enjoy the gifts I have been given or to invalidate the enjoyment and serenity that running gives me.
I’ve tried to live in the tension, I ‘need’ a new pair of running shoes. I’ve had the same pair for some 7-8 years, the soles flap around while I run. But that same pair continue to get me home—through rain, snow, & ice—so what is need anyway?
No. 1 — February 16th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
I hear you, Jonathan. I’ve been thinking about this a lot too–mostly because of the changes in my economic status. When I was a local church pastor, I set my own schedule, and it was fairly easy to make time for running. Now, I’m scrambling a little more to earn a living, and when the school substitute calls come in, I have to ditch running. I’m stretching the life of my running shoes (they are 2.5 years old now)– really can’t afford new ones, although my knees are telling me that I may have to break down and splurge soon (I tend to wear down the outer heel with my over-pronation). But I’m still a gadget-lover, so I have my GPS and heart-rate monitor and my .mp3 player (I’m listening to nerdy podcasts too).
No. 2 — February 16th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
thanks, it seems that it is exactly in life decisions that are as basic as these that our commitment to God/world is decided. Obedience isn’t just about being a missionary in Africa but about the right choices, where we are today. Especially when the everyday questions are usually the most gray without clear distinctions.
No. 3 — February 17th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I’ve been running on and off (mostly on) for about 25 years. I appreciate your thoughts. The benefits of running for me–including my primary time of prayer–seem to far outweigh anything negative that is communicated to society. As someone who has dealt with injuries–good shoes are the one piece of equipment that prevent injury, especially considering the urban terrain. I buy new shoes regularly, and I don’t wait for the tread to wear out or the shoes to fall apart. The benefit of the shoes wears out after about 400 miles, give or take a few. Terrain matters on the life of the shoe as well.
No. 4 — February 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Oh, how to tread lightly here: I understand the desire to not “indulge” in pricey running shoes when there are so many with far greater needs. Maybe you’re doing the equivalent of barefoot running by this point. But chances are, you’ve worn the shoes so badly and unevenly now that you run a real chance of hurting yourself. That’s ultimately going to cost more than the new shoes! One of my knee docs (and there have been several in 20+ years of on-again/off-again running) advised spending what I could afford on shoes, and then extending their life with an insole replacement. (Eventually, though, it’s the midsole that breaks down.) I think running is just about the least bourgeois sport you can engage in – until you start “gearing up” with GPS and HR monitors, etc. Put that money into new shoes! (Half Marathoning must be in the air this year; I’m doing the same thing.)
No. 5 — February 17th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Two words, Jonathan: Plantar fasciitis. I used to be a runner. Then I ran for about 6 years in tennis shoes that my sister in law gave me because she didn’t want them any more. I don’t know how long she had them before I got them. I still have problems with my feet.
You NEED things that keep you healthy. If you keep running you really do need new shoes. If that means you have to trade in some other luxury for them, then do it. You do not strike me as a frivolous spender and honestly, what I know of your family there isn’t a great deal of out flow of cash on “extras” (the very temperature of your house in the winter is an indicator that you are doing your best with what you have). I mean that to say, functioning running shoes are not just a luxury if you are going to run 13 miles this year. It seems to me that if you continue to run in worn out shoes you run a risk of being forced to quit running due to some avoidable injury. If you keep running in your old shoes and damage your feet you won’t be able to use any of that other stuff and that would be a true waste.
Here’s what you do: say Thank you Lord for my feet and thank you that I can buy shoes to take care of them