Thursday, June 19, 2008

Running's Gateway Drug


In the movie Ratatouille, Remy the gourmand rat’s hero Gusteau lived by a simple philosophy: Anyone can cook. It may take time, patience, and hard work, but Remy learned that anyone – even a lowly rat – can cook.

If Gusteau had been a runner instead of a cook, he’d have been about fifty pounds lighter. No, wait… that’s not where I was going with this. If Gusteau had been a runner, I believe he would have said this:

Anyone can run a 5K.

I saw this philosophy put into practice last Saturday when I ran Race for the Cure. Over 9,000 people woke up early on this beautiful day, put on running shoes, and ran 3.1 miles. There were definitely some serious runners there, but there were also people who I’m sure were competing for the very first time.

Yes, new runners, we experienced veterans can tell that this is your first 5K. Maybe your running shoes are blindingly white and too new, or maybe they’re beat up and have clearly been kicking around your closet for a long time. Maybe you’ve pinned your race number on the back of your shirt, rather than on the front where God intended it. An even clearer sign? You’re wearing the race t-shirt. Veteran runners would not only never wear the shirt before finishing the race, but heavens: it’s cotton!

When I see someone running their very first 5K, I think, “Get behind me, loser. You’re not a real runner.” No, wait, that’s not it. Instead, I rub my hands together like a super villain and say, “You will be mine. Oh, yes. You will be mine.”

That’s because a 5K is the gateway drug to running. It’s how we lure you in. We promise programs that take you not from “a base level of mileage of blah, blah,” but from your couch to a 5K. Many 5K’s are for a good cause. After all, who doesn’t oppose breast cancer or want to support melanoma research? It is no coincidence that 5K’s tend to be flat – no need for pesky hills to potentially scare off any new runners. We want you to soak in the party atmosphere of the race, feel cool in your new t-shirt, discover the free cookies and popsicles waiting for you at the after-party… to say nothing of the awesome sense of accomplishment you get at finishing your first race.

With any luck, just a few of those new runners I saw on Saturday liked their first hit of the gateway drug. Maybe they’ll stick with that first drug, happily running weekend 5K’s… and maybe they’ll move on to the hard stuff. Either way, I’m happy. Runner's Lounge's Take it and Run Thursday wants tips for 5K's, and mine is simple: Anyone can run a 5K, and everyone should try.

13 comments:

Razz said...

couldn't have said it better myself. great post!

Anonymous said...

that was a great post!

thebets said...

LOL...that's so true!

Anonymous said...

Cute:) I'm nominating the treadmill paired with the Albuterol inhaler for the Gateway Drug To Running for Fat Asthmatics. Now that my asthma's being addressed, I've run out of excuses. I continue, as always, to find inspiration in your tales of victorious pavement-ass-kicking!

Felice Devine said...

Right on!

USJogger said...

I wore my race t-shirt (over the shirt that I had worn to the race) for my first 5K. And yes, I got hooked.

Jeff said...

Oh so true. Perfect. Great post.

Meg said...

Great post! I have a friend that ran her first 5K in March and is pretty hooked...I think the atmosphere and community lured her in!

Leah said...

I just ran my 1st 5K last week, (although not my 1st race) & I agree. I loathed it at the time, but can't wait to run my next!!

Amy@RunnersLounge said...

Betsy,

Fabulous post! The funny thing is that I bet when all the veteran runners saw your title they knew exactly what you meant.

Can I add it to a Lounge as an article? It will be an instant classic!

Amy

Lauren @ mostly i run said...

Great post!

You know, to further push the running drug, maybe they should tell the newbies that sometimes after 10+ mile races, they give you beer at the end!

Kent said...

Funny my gateway drug was the LHF race, but then again I like the mud and sliding down hills. Placing in the top ten of age group rocks no matter the distance, too!

kara said...

I love seeing the newbies at 5Ks. Especially the kids.
BTW - All my 5Ks are hard - I ran as fast as I can.