Agree to Disagree

The Author of THE LONG RUN Speaks Out on Books, Gear, and Controversy in the Running World

Des Linden and Kara Goucher generate plenty of controversy on their “Nobody Asked Us” pod. This should surprise exactly no one. Being outspoken is pretty much implied in the title. But their critics are blissfully unaware and rant their discontent for Des and Kara not being in lockstep with the greater running community’s ideals. I’ve spent the last twenty years of my running career with my feet firmly planted in coaching high school cross country and track. For all the terrible things you read about in youth sports — and they’re true; sit down with a group of coaches and the war stories flow — I am stunned by the petty animosity found in these critiques. I’d blame it on social media if not for a singular discovery I made writing THE LONG RUN. As far back as the late 1960’s (!) noted age group runners proclaimed that only marathoners were “real” runners. So when Des suggests that the marathon is overrated the age group crowd is naturally in uproar.

You can’t doubt the credentials of Des and Kara. Feel free to doubt mine. I’m more than fifty years in as a runner, spent thirty years of that time as a marathoner, and am over two decades into the coaching gig. But I’m no longer a skinny mini (someone yelled “linebacker” at me as I trotted up the trail in O’Neill recently) and I have no intention of starting a YouTube channel sharing my opinions about stack height. I’ll admit that when I published a collection of running essays awhile back (TO BE A RUNNER), I was quite startled when some critics described me as elitist. I was just trying to write a collection of my no-judgment thoughts on running. Who knew I was offending someone for taking the personal stance that all running is an attempt to lift us above our daily mediocrity. This light and momentary controversy stung so much that I swore I’d never again take a stance for or against anything in the running world. Being a runner should be enough. But now that I’ve written THE LONG RUN in the most non-offensive way possible and STILL managed to find a few haters, I’m up for weighing in on critiques I’ve only shared with my wife until now. Here goes.

I’m against doping in all forms, though in my decade covering the Tour de France I was aware Lance Armstrong was doping but gave him a pass because everyone else in the peloton was doing it too. I think age-groupers boosting performance with drugs to win their local marathon or 5k ought to have their heads examined. The health side-effects don’t outweigh the glory of a two-minute PR and Nike sure as hell isn’t giving you a shoe contract.

Mary Cain’s current book about her negative experiences as a youth runner thrust into the elite running world is a very cathartic vendetta for her and will make a few bucks to get her through med school. But I think Kara Goucher’s take on that same culture was much better written and more gutsy for being the first. Yes, I know Alberto Salazar is a bad guy but where were Cain’s parents in all this? Frankly, I find Sara Hall’s book far more delightful — and worthy. Don’t tell me her long career hasn’t been fraught with hardship.

While we’re at it on books, Amazon’s “Running and Jogging” category contains an awful lot of books on walking and hiking. Not the same thing.

Running with a water bottle and belt full of gels is unnecessary in almost every suburban setting. Water fountains are everywhere if you just look around. And honestly, isn’t it a little “look at me” to wear a hydration vest in Central Park?

You can’t have it both ways when it comes to elitism. There are certain gifted people in this world who can race great distances at superhuman speeds. They’re called Olympians. We should all be reveling in the glories of runners like Jess McClain and Grant Fisher. Their mindset is no different than an age-grouper bragging about their latest PR, yet the running community barely acknowledges these amazing runners. Weekend golfers don’t bag on Rory for being the best or go so far as to proclaim their version of golf is more worthy. Pick-up basketball players don’t begrudge Jalen Brunson his 45 points. Why do average runners insist on showing disdain for Olympians? More important, when was the last time you went to a track meet? Any thoughts that these athletes ripping around the track at less than 60 seconds per lap aren’t real runners will be quickly disabused.

Running influencers have always been out there looking for attention but no one listened to them until social media came along. Back then, they were called triathletes. I don’t understand their purpose, mostly because I’m an introvert and can only imagine that waking up every morning to film yet another reel all about yourself is exhausting. But that’s their thing, just like my thing is finding a forest trail as far away from people and my phone to run a few miles and not even post it on Strava (I post my hikes but not my runs, which are too painfully slow to deserve public attention). However, I draw the line at these same populist influencers posting their marathon training plans, most of which I find to be utter horseshit. This is the coach in me talking. If you want a marathon program read Jack Daniels’ RUNNING FORMULA or THE NORWEGIAN METHOD. But you won’t, because those science-based, fitness-changing workouts are elitist.

OK. Let’s do shoes. Wear what feels good. Wear what gets you out the door. And enjoy your easy days. Be brave enough to go as slow at it takes to fully recover from your hard days. Don’t be a slave to your Strava followers.

Whew. This is fun but I think I’ll leave it here. For all our attempts to be uncommon I guess runners are very often that most common breed of individual, wired to criticize the things that threaten us. Which is a shame. In the immortal words of Rodney King, “why can’t we all just get along?” Amazingly, on race day, that’s exactly what happens.