Running with the Shadows of the Night

I don’t mean to come off sounding like a grumpy old curmudgeon, but you know what really pisses me off? Trends. Don't get me wrong, I can respect a person’s decision to subscribe to a trend that truly compliments their life, but I absolutely can not stand people that hop on the bandwagon strictly for the purpose of peer perception. For example, I have an iPhone and I love it. Yes it’s trendy, but it does genuinely compliment my needs at this stage of my life. It’s handy and convenient, it’s sleek and attractive and even better, it provides all the functionality that I could possibly want from a phone. As much as it pains me personally, I can even respect a person’s decision to deck out their wardrobe with the latest brands and fashions. To them, trends in style compliment their needs and desires. Though I can always detect a hint of vinegar and water in the air when a dude walks by in an Ed Hardy t-shirt and Rockin’ Republic jeans, at least he’s living how he wants to.

Maybe you're wondering what has got me so irritated in regards to the topic of trends? Running. Yes, the very same physical motion that we’ve been doing since we were kids, running. It’s something that most everyone can do. The only qualifications are having two legs and a desire to move faster than walking. So at what point did it become so fucking trendy to run? If it were just a matter of trying to stay fit and exercise, I’d completely understand, but with the way people boast about running these days, you’d think they were auditioning for the roles of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in a cock saber fight.

Look, I myself am an overweight dude and I understand the importance of needing to develop an exercise routine. It’s commendable, quite frankly. What has me so agitated however is that three months ago, I knew of one dude who decided to take up running as a hobby and boy was he proud. It’s all he talked about. Each morning he challenged himself with longer distances than the day before and he would train for marathons then post his best times on the internet for his friends to see. From there, seemingly overnight, I was surrounded by born-again runners as if a casting call for Chariots of Fire 2 extras went out on the wire. Suddenly “this guy” was bragging about running three miles last night, “that girl” was bragging about running five miles this morning and “these people” were all signed up for marathons and subjecting themselves to an intense training regimen. It's worth saying again, if I felt like any of these people were doing this as a measure of simply trying to stay in shape, I’d pat them on the back, but there is something else going on here. It feels more like a group of people that just want an “atta boy” from their peers more than anything else.

Honestly, I can’t say I blame them. We all like a nice pat on the back every once in a while. All I ask is that you go out and find your own niche. Sure, you could argue the point that all of these people who miraculously discovered running at the exact same time are legitimately discovering their niche, but I’m calling bullshit. I’d discuss this whole thing further, but I’ve recently taken up skipping and I have some training to do if I’m going to be ready for the big Skip Off event coming up in April. In summary, just be yourselves, people. That’s hard enough without trying to live like someone else.