Movie Monday: Would you still do it?

I ran my first half marathon in 2001 when the only way to brag about such an event was to write a mass e-mail to friends and family.  I ran my first marathon in 2005 during the age of MySpace, but still well before what we currently associate with the term "social media."

10 years later, I continue to run half marathons and marathons, yet I now tell everyone about it on Facebook, Twitter and this blog.  I have yet to get into Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope, or whatever else is out there, and I honestly hope I never do.

Which is why I love this commercial from running apparel company Pearl Izumi.  It asks the question, who do you run for?  Is it to impress countless faceless strangers on the internet, or is it for your own health and well-being?  If social media didn't exist, would you still do it?

Would you?

Hardcore

Another gem from athletic company Pearl Izumi, and this one couldn't better describe my run last night.

Met up with Suze of Suze Does Life fame for a short run around the Cooper River.  The temperature had reached 98 degrees during the day, and was still in the 90's when we met at 8 o'clock.  But within minutes of setting out, the skies darkened and the temperature plummeted. Minutes later it began raining.  Brilliant flashes of lightning followed us around the course as rain pummeled us and thunder rumbled in the distance.  It was a run under end-of-days skies with just enough swiftness and ominous build up to make you think God finally had enough of us down here, but at the last moment thought better of it.  It was the most hardcore run I've had in a long time.

I don't have any running friends.  Not a single one.  I spend so much time running alone that it was nice to have a running partner to talk to last night.  Upcoming races, training, whatever comes to the runner's mind.  Suze just started running last November and is already planning to run the Philly Marathon this November.

Hardcore indeed.

New ad campaign

You never know where a photo will end up once it's on the internet.

I'll bet the one on the right becomes a runner.

McRunner and LA Marathon recap

McRunner, he of the 30 day McDonald's marathon meal plan, finished the LA Marathon last Sunday.  He battled hills, failing calf muscles and heavy rain in the back nine to finish in 29th place.  While he did not meet his goal of running a sub 2:36, he did finish in 2:36:14, which is still a new PR.  McRunner will be appearing in the June issue of Runner's World in a section found in each issue, the one dedicated to "interesting" runners.

At the other end of the spectrum we have Kelly Gneiting: sumo wrestler and newly christened "marathoner."  Kathleen sent me the link to the Men's Health article that describes his effort last Sunday, also at the LA Marathon.  While McRunner was showering and enjoying something not on the McDonald's menu for the first time in a month, Mr. Gneiting was still plodding through the streets of Hollywood, and would continue to do so for a total of 9 hours and 48 minutes.  While not the slowest marathoner in history, he did return home with the distinction of being the heaviest person to ever complete a marathon.  Mr. Gneiting weighs close to 400 pounds.

It brings to mind the following ad from athletic company Pearl Izumi:

This ad ran as part of a series just a year or two ago.  The ads made a clear distinction between jogging and running: jogging is the execrable province of pitiable, shuffling wannabes, while running is the fanatical dedication to speed and all that is required to attain it.  Which side are you on? they seemed to ask.  The ads ultimately caused a lot of controversy for saying what many diehards in the running community were thinking: what is happening to this sport?

Where is the line drawn?  At what point does one move from the runners to the joggers?  At what point is it more accurate to say you've completed a marathon, instead of run a marathon?

Let me first note that I applaud anyone willing to take on the marathon.  But the marathon is only the tip of the iceberg; the mental and physical exertion must extend to the training period as well. Only then can you truly give it your all and respect the marathon by actually racing it.  The greater joy in my life was found not in completing a marathon, but in completing it as fast as I could.  This is a joy many will not experience, because for many, the marathon is nothing more than a checked box on a bucket list (full disclosure: I started out as one of these people).  This is where I start to get annoyed, and will probably come off as an elitist prick, but so be it.  At some point it becomes more of a freakshow stunt than an athletic achievement: "I'll finish a marathon but I won't be bothered to put in the effort to train properly.  I'll finish in over 6 hours and let others be stunned by my perseverance.  I will tell others how I once ran a marathon even though I never ran for more than 5 minutes at a time, and I will call myself a marathoner for the rest of my life."

I suppose finishing a marathon in any time is better than never finishing one, but I hate being lumped in the same category as these people.  Unless I win any hardware, I'm just another marathon finisher, no different than the colossal Kelly Gneiting.

Adidas running ads

I believe it was in the late 90's when Adidas unleashed this ad campaign, which apparently was super successful and won all kinds of industry awards.  There were a slew of pictures that spoke to the running experience, pictures that were unlikely to recruit new runners, but caused those of us with experience to nod our heads and chuckle vigorously.

These are the best kinds of ads, because even if I never buy a pair of Adidas running shoes (haven't yet), I still associate these pictures with good memories, and Adidas slips right into the subconscious with those memories.  If I don't buy the shoes, at least I have positive associations with the brand.

Below are my three favorite pics from the bunch.

I love her expression: wtf?