Fans

I get a chuckle out of every time I hear a young athlete use a phrase like, "I don't want to let my fans down" or "I need to put on a show for my fans." Really? Seriously? This is just a local-yocal running event. Fans are people who take off their shirts in -32 degrees, drink copious amounts of cheap beer, yell obscenities at referees, paint their hairy bellies with war paint and don viking horns or fake foam cheese! I have yet to experience a group of people strip off their clothing, wear large foam Nikes on the top of their head, all the while chugging away from a red plastic cup filled with liquid amber gold as I fly buy blowing snot rockets. Now I am not saying that there are not running fans out there, mainly because I consider myself to be a fan of the sport. However, I'm not really a fan of anyone athlete, club or event. Just more of a fan in general. Quite honestly, I don't think anyone really cares if I win or lose a race. And furthermore, I don't really care when some athlete that I admire wins or loses a race. That's the nature of athletics, you win some, you lose some.

This sport is not really about fans. Unlike arena sports like football, baseball, basketball, etc... this sport is about participation and friendship. I have had that great experience of having people cheer for me in the midst of heated competition. There is nothing like it. But in all honesty, when people cheer, it is just white noise. I am so focused on the task at hand I can only decipher one voice, the voice of my coach and or a trusted teammate. One of the things I miss from college is how we used to line up on the back stretch of the track in lane 3 with the distance runners from other schools and cheer on our teammates. Yelling, screaming, taking good natured jabs at the other runners and then all going for a cool down jog together, reliving the last 4, 9, 15 or 30 minutes of racing. We were not fans. We were friends participating in the event together. And that is what makes this sport so darn great. We don't have fans, we have friends.

After all, I would be a little creeped out if some dude, whipped off his shirt, had his buddha belly painted red with my 5k pr, wearing a jock strap on his head yelling at me to pick up the pace, the other runners are gaining on you! So, when I do hear people cheer for me in my local 5k fun run, I know that they are not fans, but my friends. People I personally know, just wishing me the best and likewise, when I cheer for them, win or lose, just wishing them the best. And I get to keep my shirt on! (It is a little hard to paint war paint on an emaciated chest.)

Time to lace up and head out the door for day 117 of the streak! As always, stay healthy, keep running and if I hear you cheering or you hear me cheering for you, we are not fans, we are friends!