It's funny isn't it? The need to always justify why we are doing things. It why we care when someone with more money can afford better kit than us. Does that change our own direct experience? Perhaps with crowds but we've always been the ones seeking solitude anyway and for damn sure there are people who have been doing it longer with less kit than us. I did my first winter route the other day. I didn't want to ski because I was having elitism paranoia. Then I thought to have all this climbing kit is elitist. Until I looked at all the second hand junk, jackets etc that some old mountain goat had thrown me as scraps. The point of this is that we know we are privileged but not enjoying ourselves is not going to change that. Showing compassion might. Next time you see someone looking like they want to have a lot of fun then throw them your old shoes, skateboard, ice axes and feel good about yourself.
Yep, the joy is definitely in the experience, alone and unseen or shared with friends. It’s just a pity when outside influences start to act on that. It might be pressure to conform or perform, commercialism or the existential guilt of being able to do it in the first place. But I think you’re fundamentally right - have a bit of humility but don’t let it stop your enjoyment.
At work we launched a virtual running club to help people tackle the mental and physical afflictions of lockdown and home working. It started small and has grown huge and has had a tremendous impact on many for the reasons mentioned above but also for people to network in a community untroubled by organisational codes or subunits. A place where role, rank and region mean bugger all. It’s great.
However I find myself longing for the early months. The initial excitement when it was just a small bunch of people experimenting. Now it almost feels like it’s commercialised (it’s not, we paid for own t-shirts 😅), mainstream even. Being there at the start was a real buzz.
Reading this Running High has me reflecting on why I now feel less connected to something that is, ultimately, a great success and serving many people really well. The vast majority of whom are far more capable runners than me. Hang on, maybe that’s it. 🤣
One is the thing you mention at the end about suddenly being around more capable runners and not enjoying it as much. That's definitely something I've thought about a lot and plan to write about. As soon as you start perceiving yourself as "a runner" your interest in it and goals (even if they're personal and secret) quickly overtake your ability. Then it just feels like you're trying to catch up all the time. (Puns unintentional!)
The second thing is the idea of the experience being less enjoyable as the group gets bigger and perhaps functioning less effectively. I mean, this is surely another truism of humanity - we need to form communities in order to thrive, but there's a finite number of people who can be part of these, and until we cross that threshold we don't necessarily know where it is.
It's funny isn't it? The need to always justify why we are doing things. It why we care when someone with more money can afford better kit than us. Does that change our own direct experience? Perhaps with crowds but we've always been the ones seeking solitude anyway and for damn sure there are people who have been doing it longer with less kit than us. I did my first winter route the other day. I didn't want to ski because I was having elitism paranoia. Then I thought to have all this climbing kit is elitist. Until I looked at all the second hand junk, jackets etc that some old mountain goat had thrown me as scraps. The point of this is that we know we are privileged but not enjoying ourselves is not going to change that. Showing compassion might. Next time you see someone looking like they want to have a lot of fun then throw them your old shoes, skateboard, ice axes and feel good about yourself.
Yep, the joy is definitely in the experience, alone and unseen or shared with friends. It’s just a pity when outside influences start to act on that. It might be pressure to conform or perform, commercialism or the existential guilt of being able to do it in the first place. But I think you’re fundamentally right - have a bit of humility but don’t let it stop your enjoyment.
At work we launched a virtual running club to help people tackle the mental and physical afflictions of lockdown and home working. It started small and has grown huge and has had a tremendous impact on many for the reasons mentioned above but also for people to network in a community untroubled by organisational codes or subunits. A place where role, rank and region mean bugger all. It’s great.
However I find myself longing for the early months. The initial excitement when it was just a small bunch of people experimenting. Now it almost feels like it’s commercialised (it’s not, we paid for own t-shirts 😅), mainstream even. Being there at the start was a real buzz.
Reading this Running High has me reflecting on why I now feel less connected to something that is, ultimately, a great success and serving many people really well. The vast majority of whom are far more capable runners than me. Hang on, maybe that’s it. 🤣
There's a couple of interesting things here.
One is the thing you mention at the end about suddenly being around more capable runners and not enjoying it as much. That's definitely something I've thought about a lot and plan to write about. As soon as you start perceiving yourself as "a runner" your interest in it and goals (even if they're personal and secret) quickly overtake your ability. Then it just feels like you're trying to catch up all the time. (Puns unintentional!)
The second thing is the idea of the experience being less enjoyable as the group gets bigger and perhaps functioning less effectively. I mean, this is surely another truism of humanity - we need to form communities in order to thrive, but there's a finite number of people who can be part of these, and until we cross that threshold we don't necessarily know where it is.