A shot of me at a swim meet taken in the 70s. At least my Mom thinks it's of me.
Dan and I have been talking a lot lately about fitness and health and running and muscle pain and injury and running races and moisture-wicking fabrics and hydration and bike upgrades and freestyle and flip turns.
And by "talking" I mean Dan smiles and nods, and I forget to take breaths between sentences.
When I decide to "do" something, I do it full throttle. I jump in head first, dive down to the bottom, grab every single shred of detail I can find along the way in order to fully immerse myself in the complete experience.
In 2002, it was scrapbooking. From the first time I stepped into my local Archiver's store, I quickly figured out what I needed to be a part of the club. Never mind the fact that I didn't want to be part of a physical club—the introvert in me didn't need to sit shoulder to shoulder at a crop to truly fit in. But I did need to do what I needed to do to fully immerse myself in the experience.
In 2010, it's been running. From the first workout clothes I bought at Lucy, I quickly figured out what I needed to do to become part of the club. This particular club seemed tailor made for introverts. I could do it all by myself in the privacy of my basement, and later, out in the world at large. Granted, scrapbooking was far easier on my cardiovascular system than this one, but I have nevertheless jumped in head first to immerse myself in the complete fitness experience.
Dan has always subscribed to the Groucho Marx philosophy of "I wouldn't want to be part of any club that would have me." For Dan, running is something he simply does. He doesn't want a satellite watch. He doesn't care for wicking fabrics. He doesn't read Runners' World. He doesn't refuel with sport gels. His nipples never bled when he ran his marathon in 2003. He gets one good pair of shoes, and heads out the door.
Long story short: he has no need to belong to a club. The whole "Just Do It" philosophy definitely applies to him. But more specifically, "Just do it, and shut up already."
He has said that he just doesn't want to identify as a runner. It's not who he is, it's just something he does. Something in his psyche wants nothing to do with being a part of an identifiable group.
You know, he's like that one penguin in the Far Side comic:
What about you?
Do you get soaking wet, or just dip your toes in the water? Or is it somewhere in between?
I'd love to hear how people "do" what they do.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go grab a towel and dry off…you know, because me? I'm soaked to the bone.
