Crazy Running People

Please don't take offense if you are a runner reading this. I count myself among the crazy running people I love. (Crazy Running People=CRPs—it does not escape me that this acronym is close to CPR.) It occurred to me today though, just how far from normal we all are.

Let's start at the beginning. I got up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready to meet a local running group for their Saturday morning run. It was snowing outside. After thinking about this for a day, I am see that this is actually where the craziness begins. I texted a friend to see if she would be joining me at this group and she passed to run inside on a treadmill, stating "I'm not that hardcore yet." A sensible decision indeed. Avoid the cold and slippery snow and run inside. Why did this never occur to me as an option? Oh right, I still hate the treadmill.

Crazy decision number one. Run outside today early in the a.m. (not to mention I got home late last night) which even seemed crazy to another runner. However, there were at least 50 people ready to run when I arrived at our meeting point. So I'm not the only one.

I've mentioned that lots of smart, wise people have questioned my decision to run a marathon. As I was introducing myself to these fellow "hardcore, outdoorsy" runners (this was my second time at the group, so I am still in the "meeting people" phase) many asked if I was training for something.

Me: "A marathon, in Oklahoma City, in April."
Me: Pause to brush snow out of my eyes
CRP: “is it your first one?"
Me: "yes"

WAIT. First one? As in ordinal number? Implying 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc? Who runs multiple marathons? Answer: Lots of these people. I have been called crazy (and thought myself crazy) for deciding to do one. And really, isn’t a marathon something you only do once? Like “Yes, I did a marathon.” The END! I’ve done it. Check. I am amazing! Why more than that? All of a sudden I am in a group of people who not only run in the snow early in the morning on a Saturday (when most people are sleeping, or at least Christmas shopping) but have decided to run 26.2 miles in a row, in a race, more than once.

I love running with a group. But I think I need my non-running friends (normal people) to tell me that one marathon is, indeed, crazy. And if I am seeking to be “hardcore,” running in the snow will probably suffice. There is a continuum here, and while I am not too worried about where I fall on it, I need the occasional reminder about what is and is not crazy to ensure I don’t fall right off the line!