Anti Being Prepared

I’ve been really mulling this question over recently and I think I finally have an answer.

Context: Last spring, I attended the LA Marathon. Something about the atmosphere of human achievement and a guaranteed medal (gentle parenting moment) made me realize I want to run a marathon. A year later, following the recovery of two knee injuries and countless ankle problems, I finally signed up for my first marathon in Seattle this summer.

Outside of finishing a marathon, I have another running goal in my head. That would be running a marathon in under 3 hours. For those who are curious, that’s running a 6:52 mile for 26.2 miles straight. Well, we will see if this happens in Seattle, but I should really just focus on running my first marathon. Actually, I ran my first half marathon the other day and finished exactly at an hour and twenty-ish minutes, right on pace for under 3 hours. Now I just have to do that twice, and we are set.

I’ve been told I have a very “unique” running style. Being honest, I was told I had a funny run. Not naming names, but a year ago I was running through my old neighborhood and was spotted by a friend driving by. Later that evening, I saw this person out and about and was told I run like a gazelle. Being seen working out might be the most vulnerable thing ever. I knew what they meant, though: “you run fast," but my long strides make my form look weird and unnatural.

At the end of the day, it's really about just getting from point A to point B, right?

(Uncle Chen ran a sub 3:30 Marathon chain-smoking cigs)

Lore:

I recently went to a running club, and one thing became very clear to me: I am a horribly underprepared runner. What do you need to run, though? Shoes... maybe clothes? That might be about it. I usually forget to bring water, too. One thing that has always bothered me about the runner community, or maybe just the very niche West LA mid-20’s runner community, is that they are all about their gear. Which is totally fine, but goddamn, don’t shove it in my face. Congrats! You have a membership to some stupid running store where you get all your gear to lock in a 2 mile run at a 10:30 pace. (This is mean.) I find a lot of these people care more about their gear than actually running. Stop and smell the roses. They love talking about what gear they have and how they got it, but the real problem is the amount of dumb questions they ask you back. What watch are you using to track your miles? What’s your strava? Did you run in high school? Do you take gels to recover your electrolytes after your midday lunch stroll? Should we all squeeze together in this ice bath? Answer: No

I used to run in Nike Roshe’s (if you know you know). I actually didn’t know until two years ago that there were shoes made for running. I wear a surf watch that I haven’t taken off in 6 years, and half the buttons stopped working. I wear Vans socks. Why would I buy special socks to run in? I hold my phone the entire time I run; you get the picture. I get asked once in a while what type of running watch I have. I love the disappointment on people’s faces when I just show them the tide forecast.

My Point

My point is that you don’t need the gear to be a runner. Sure, it probably helps to wear shoes that don’t hurt 5 miles in, but that’s not what’s actually stopping you from running. People love making excuses, it allows them to have a reason why they haven’t been able to do something.

Like surfing, where gear is also a big part of the culture, there’s something nice about having shitty gear and being better than the shmock who read an article online: Best Shortboard 2023. I hope your Hypto Krypto helps your Instagram followers go up! As I find myself at this running club, they probably look at me and think it's my third time running. They scoff at my rosche’s like I’m about to pass out at mile 2. I’ll say it though: nothing feels better than flying past one of these walking LA Running Brand Bllboards, who spent weeks figuring out the best pouch to put their running gels in for maximum their V2 performance or whatever

(Fast Travel)

Answer to said text:

To answer the text above, Yes, I am anti-prepared and I always will be. There’s this feeling deep down, especially on my recent running “journey”, where I want to prove something to everyone: I don’t need $300 shoes & gear to run a marathon. Maybe I’ll never break three hours, but I’m sure as hell not going to waste my time figuring out the “ultimate” gear to cut seconds off my time. I want to do it without even thinking about it, like sign up tomorrow and run it.

Does this help me actually become a better runner? Do I gain anything from depriving myself of comfy shoes and nutrients for my body after running every day? No, probably not. But that wasn’t really the point of running for me, was it? Like running (Let’s get deep), in life I find myself in many new situations, some harder and more complicated, forcing myself to always be ready for what’s to come. I don’t think you are ever prepared for anything; you just have to accept the situation presented to you and accept the outcome you create. I feel like if you are prepared for things all the time, then maybe you are just too comfortable in the life you’ve created for yourself. My take: go run your marathon; don’t even think about it. The greatest sporting advice I have ever been given was that the less you think about the activity, the better you’ll do. Just start going; you don’t need special shoes or a running hat to get started. Just enjoy it; let yourself be anti prepared; you’ll probably get more out of it. And Guess What! Sure enough, one day, you’ll be crossing whatever finish line you needed to like it was nothing.

As always… till next time