My First Run

I got out today for a couple of miles on a trail near my home. It was a very strange feeling, running again after so much time off and thinking I'd probably never be able to do it again. It was also a lot of fun!

It made me think some about our self-concept, that is, how we view and think of our selves. Most of us have many facets of this: father, mother, husband, wife, friend, Christian, atheist, athlete, Democrat, Republican, and so on. For years, "being a runner" was a part of that for me, replaced over 2 years ago by "being a cyclist" and "being an ex-runner." I'm hopeful that my sciatic nerve and lower back will hold up, and that I can keep hitting the road and trails enough for running to be a consistent part of my life again, and no longer a dormant part of my self-concept.

I'll have more to say on the importance of this topic in a later post, diving into some of what contemporary philosopher Charles Taylor calls our strong evaluations and their connection to our self-concept.

Let's Begin Again

Over 2 years ago, I stopped posting on this blog. The main reason is that I was no longer able to run, because of surgery on a ruptured disk in my lower back. In the meantime, I "converted" to road cycling as a way to stay involved in an endurance sport. I intend to keep riding my bike, but I'm going to give running a try again. I've received mixed medical advice about this, but it seems to me that if I run on a wood chip/dirt trail near my home, and run only short distances, I might be able to pull it off. In the past, running has irritated my sciatic nerve. Recently, I've run a bit on the soccer field without trouble, so I'm going to give it a shot. I'll chronicle any philosophical or running-related insights here. This may be worth only 1-2 more posts, or several. We'll see. I'm looking forward to resurrecting this part of my identity, and seeing what happens!

The Finish

I've decided to close down this blog, as the number of readers doesn't really justify the time it requires. I still would welcome any comments or questions on the book, you can email me at mike.austin at symbol eku dot edu.
If you are interested in issues related to sports, ethics, and the good life, see my blog. I'll be posting any running related items there, as they connect to morality and the good life. If you are interested in issues in Philosophy of Sport, see the group blog related to those topics here.

Triathlon?

One result of my back surgery is that I'll probably be cutting back on the miles and looking for softer surfaces to run on than the asphalt around where I live. It is of course disappointing to have to run less than I'd like, but I'm thinking that rather than focus on that I'd like to find a new challenge. So, I'm going to try a sprint triathlon. The training plans I've seen for a first-timer include just 2 days of running a week, so that should keep my orthopaedist happy. I've never biked much, nor have I spent large amounts of time in the pool, but I'm looking forward to trying. If anyone has made the move from running to triathlons and has any advice to offer, or if there's a triathlon book you'd recommend, I'd appreciate any input you could offer by posting a comment.

Why Jogging is Better than Running

Pearl Izumi has an ad campaign entitled "We are not joggers". One of the lines from the campaign is "Runners are wild. Joggers are runners who have been domesticated." I always bristled when people called me a jogger, or asked if I'd gone for a jog today. No, I'm a runner! But in the chapter of Running and Philosophy, "In Praise of the Jogger", Ray VanArragon, a former college runner and current philosopher at Bethel University, argues that we runners should aspire to be joggers, in part because the motivations and goals of the jogger are better. I found myself being convinced, and echoing his hope to one day become a jogger. I wonder if pride had more to do with not wanting to be called a jogger, or was it simply that I didn't understand what a jogger truly is?