A Great Quote from George Sheehan

"Running has attracted individuals of all temperaments, but none more strongly than those who live in the mind."

Mind Over Mind-Over-Body

See this interesting article in the New York Times for a different relationship between the mind and the body as it relates to running: I'm Not Really Running, I'm Not Really Running.

Running in its Proper Place

In a previous post, I stated that "For many runners, running is more than an activity, it is a part of our identity." I think that this is true, and that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is good because it helps motivate us to continue to run, to persevere through injuries, bad weather, boredom, and whatever else life brings that makes it more difficult to continue to run. However, I wonder about the danger of making running a core part of our identity, if this entails that our overall happiness and well-being are dependent upon being able to run. Injuries, other health issues, and a variety of other things could prevent one from running, even permanently. And while running is a passion of mine, I don't think that losing it would prevent me from living a full and meaningful life. Of course, this sort of risk is unavoidable. For example, many of us find our identity in our relationships (spouse, significant other, parent) and those are always at risk. What is the lesson here? I have some thoughts about this, but would enjoy hearing what others think, so feel free to post your ideas in the comments.

Sound Mind, Sound Body

In the first post on this blog, I referenced the following quote from modern philosopher John Locke: "A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world." It's clear that running can contribute to the formation of "a sound body," as Locke puts it. But how does running contribute to the formation of "a sound mind"?

Many people tend to emphasize the mind and its development as the key to happiness. Our culture goes for the opposite extreme, as people are willing to spend large sums of money and devote much of their free time to developing the body and having particular emotional experiences. However, my own experience is that I am happiest, in the deeper sense alluded to by Aristotle, Socrates, and others, when my mind is being challenged as well as my body. I've found that philosophical thinking enhances my running, and that running enhances my philosophical thinking. Some of my best ideas have come to me while out pounding the pavement. The ideas I'm referring to aren't just those that relate to my job as a philosopher, but also very practical insights related to my daily life as a husband and father. Something about running helps the mind think more clearly, and opens the way for new and practical insights.

Running can also be mentally and emotionally beneficial in another sense. See Get Some Running Therapy for more on this.

Running, Smiles, and Tears

A brief and good piece from Running Times editor Jonathan Beverly on why a smile isn't necessarily the most desirable outcome of a race.

Heather Reid's "The Philosophical Athlete"

The following exercise is drawn from Heather Reid, The Philosophical Athlete (Carolina Academic Press, 2002). This book is one of my favorites, connecting sport, philosophy, and everyday life. It's worth picking up!

Thinking Activity: Evaluating Values
1. Question: Which are your strongest and most important values?
2. Observe: Make a list of things and accomplishments you care about in life. The list can include objects, people, degrees, awards…whatever fits you.
3. Analyze: Go over your list and decide whether the item is intrinsically valuable (worthwhile in itself), instrumentally valuable (worthwhile as a means to something else), or both. Cross out all those things that are only instrumentally valuable and replace with the intrinsic value toward which they aim until your list only has intrinsic values or intrinsic/instrumental values.
4. Question again: Do these values actually guide your actions in life? Do concerns about money or acceptance sometimes get in the way of your ultimate intrinsic goals, such as happiness? How so? What, if anything, can you do to change this?

Is there a "Runner's Worldview"?

In the December 2007 issue of Running Times, Rachel Toor argues that the answer is no.

I think she is correct. In Running and Philosophy, two of the authors address worldview questions and the place of running in a good life from very different perspectives. Sharon Kaye takes running as a way to fulfill our hunter-gatherer nature, while JP Moreland views it as a spiritual discipline.

It seems to me that runners often share many of the same beliefs about life and happiness, and have many attitudes in common. Many of us agree that life's value is often found in challenge, adversity, and sustained effort towards a goal. Of course such beliefs aren't peculiar to runners, but for many these are central aspects of how we live. We come to running with a variety of worldviews, but perhaps there is a significant overlap in our beliefs about life. Perhaps these shared beliefs are what attract many of us to the sport, and keep us in it over the long haul.

Running and Friendship, or the Myth of the Lonely Long Distance Runner

One of the great things about running is time alone, in the relative silence provided by being "unplugged" from the world. However, some of my best runs have been done with fellow runners. The conversation, mutual challenge to keep up a strong pace, and the sheer fun of running with someone make these types of runs worthwhile. Most runners know the value of friendship in the context of our running, but there is more to it. Aristotle emphasized the importance of friendship in his writings on the ethical life. The highest kind of friendship, friendship based on virtue, is what we need to be truly happy. In this kind of friendship, there is a shared vision of the purpose of life, and a deep trust between the friends. This requires time, familiarity, mutual good will, and mutual sacrifice. Running provides a context for such friendships to flourish.

Running together, because it involves meeting challenges together, and being with your running partner away from computers, cell phones, and televisions frees you up to develop a deeper friendship. Running 5 miles with someone on a regular basis provides ample opportunity for familiarity, trust, mutual good will, and mutual sacrifice to develop. In the May 2005 issue of Runner’s World, John Bingham, a.k.a. “The Penguin,” reflects on the nature of the friendships of runners. Bingham quotes the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, who said that “Exhaustion is the shortest way to equality and fraternity.” Expanding on this idea, Bingham observes that the types of friendships you develop with your running buddies enables you to “go past age, gender, ethnicity, social status, and all of the initial criteria we normally use to judge people.” There is something to this. On the road, your socio-economic status won’t help you run faster. Older runners are able to challenge younger ones. Women outrun men. But it’s not all about speed (especially for the Penguin!). Bingham contends that one reason many runners run slower is that they want the social interaction that running provides.

So what does this mean for runners, in practical terms? Aristotle would advise you to go out for a run, if that is something that you love to do. And while you’re at it, he would say, take a good friend with you.

(Portions of this post are from "Chasing Happiness Together: Running and Aristotle's Philosophy of Friendship," Running and Philosophy (Blackwell, 2007), chapter 2.

Phedippidations and a Philosophy of Life

On my long run today, I listened to a podcast available on iTunes through http://www.steverunner.com entitled "Where are we going?" The parallels between the discussion on the podcast and the discussion in the past week in my introductory philosophy course were striking. In class this past week, we were discussing a recent book by Joel Kupperman, Six Myths about the Good Life. Kupperman offers philosophical and empirical evidence in support of the claim that people who are happiest are involved in what he calls "skilled activities". These are activities that are demanding, require sustained effort, and give us a sense of self. I take it that what he means by this last aspect is that the activities are not just things that we do, but a part of who we are. For many runners, running is more than an activity, it is a part of our identity. As discussed in the podcast, running can be a means to and even a part of our happiness as human beings. This is not news to most runners, but it might help motivate us on those cold winter mornings!