Being a gentleman, Equalizer and Fitness

Its hard to say what running really gives you at the end of the day. We don’t really run for money or fame because it is reserved for the elite athletes. We run for fitness but there are plenty of other fun things that you could do to keep fit – basketball, tennis, rock-climbing, hiking or walking. Why then do we run?

Running is not really about the sport. Running is an equalizer. Anyone can put on a pair of shoes and just start running. You can even run without shoes in a well-paved track or a nice trail. All you need is a pair of shorts and a t-shirt (optional). You can either choose to be a bare minimum runner like that or you could choose to wear a I-pod, a sack of water around your waist, a GPS, a headband, a wrist band and all that fun stuff. Both are acceptable and runners hardly look down on each other. What is understood and accepted is the pain that goes with the act of running. Remember, there is a difference between pain and suffering. You enjoy pain and choose pain but you never choose suffering. One of the reasons why I chose this sport is that it is a natural equalizer and the pain just makes you modest and humble. I run because running is an equalizer.

Murakami in his book says that a gentleman never talks about his women or exercise and he says that he is not a gentleman. I agree…I am not one and don’t aspire to be one either.