Saluting Protocol

© Ugur Akinci

Have you noticed that there is definitely a saluting protocol between runners who meet each other on the road?

A salutation from one jogger to another can mean so many different things ...

Here are a few of them:

(1) "Hey, good job! I admire that you're on the road just like me!  We're brothers -- or sisters -- in spirit! Have a good one!"

(2) "You're okay, buster... Not too great, don't get puffed up, but for your age and condition, you're not too bad either. At least you're trying (fatso!). You have a heart."

(3) "OMG -- isn't this TERRIBLE?! You're hurting too, right? Don't you think we should just turn around and go HOME, and turn on the TV and watch a good football game?! I mean, what-is-this that we got ourselves into?!"

(4) "You suck man, you definitely SUCK and I don't know how else to say it. I'm embarrassed to share the same city block with you!"

(5) "Wink wink! Flirt flirt!  Chirp chirp!  What a gorgeous day!  You're beautiful. I am beautiful. The world is beautiful! Hooray!!!!"

The one I love the best is the first one delivered with  the thumb and forefinger of the right hand extended like letter-L -- the visual equivalent of "you've got it!"

There are other shades and nuances of salutations but I think these are the major ones that I get on a regular basis. This is the MAIN CATALOG of runners' salutations for me. Do you get others? Feel free to share.

My Left Toe and I

© Ugur Akinci

My left toe was hurting slightly. Probably a tissue strain. A light sprain. It's not enough to keep me away from running but still... I knew I'm not 100%.

So the negotiation and the inner dialog began.

ME: Will you leave me stranded?
LEFT TOE: Depends. You can see I'm not 100%.
ME: I know but I trust you. I trust my body.
LT: Thanks. But remember what Reagan has said: trust but verify.
ME: Seriously, how about a 5K? It's only 95F out there! (Wink)
LT: Suit yourself but take it easy.
ME: I will since you're the only left toe I've got.
LT: Go slow and I'll keep up with you. Haven't I supported you in the past? How many years it's been? 50? 60?
ME: You know my age. OK, I take it easy anyways. I'm running for pure enjoyment, you know that.
LT: I know. I sometimes wish you also had these trophies and medals with red ribbons hanging on the wall but it doesn't matter. I know you run because you truly love to run.

CUT TO: Later on the road. 1 mile into a 3.2 mile run.

ME: Hey, thanks for hanging in there...
LT: What do you think so far? I don't hurt that bad, right?
ME: Bearable. I think warming up helps and as you can see I'm trying to distributed the load more towards my heel.
LT: I'm cool. C'mon, I can take it. You can lean more on me.
ME: Yeah but I don't wanna pay for that by taking a month off of running. I'll take it easy, as I promised earlier.
LT: Appreciate that. On days like this I'm not sure if I were created for running or not.
ME: Just help me another couple of miles and we're done.
LT: Do I have another choice?

CUT TO: After 3.2 miles...

ME: Hey, we did it!
LT: Of course. You were like, what? 15 minutes a mile? If you walked you'd have been faster.
ME: I told you, I'm not after a "record" or anything. I'm after the PRESENT, THIS TIME that I spend with you, on the road, enjoying this solitude, one man running in 95F weather with not a single sane person or creature in sight.
LT: Next time get your iPod with you.
ME: And what should I listen to?
LT: Why? "Lean on Me," of course...

Running as Therapy

© 2010 Ugur Akinci

There was something unusual about James. He was a well-read elderly gentleman of highest integrity. A U.S. government retiree. A friendly man who never went over the top; who never became too-friendly. Always kind but reserved. He had this tremendous amount of discipline over himself, over the way he spoke or reacted...

In short time I took a shine to James. He was someone I loved talking to. A world-traveled man who knew a lot about a lot of topics. A pleasure to listen to and share the same dining table with.

Then I learned James was running marathons; in his seventies (no wonder he looked that fit)! That he actually ran a DOZEN of them in past. My fascination with James only got deeper.

Since we've established a good level of rapport, one day he blurted out the reason why he started to run marathons many years ago: he lost his young son to a tragic accident many years ago. The pain and shock of that loss was so unbearable James didn't know what to do with himself. Running was the only thing he could do that did not feel as painful. Pretty soon he was running longer distances, more frequently, until he graduated up to full marathons, and he never stopped since.

I've also witnessed the therapeutic power of running many times in my life. When you run, endorphins get released in your body, which are (bluntly put) "pleasure hormones." You'll definitely feel better after a typical daily run, better both physically and psychologically. It's the best therapy I know to beat the blues.

Running, Religion, & Altered State of Consciousness

Rostock Marathon.JPG
Rostock Marathon (Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia)

© Ugur Akinci

Long distance running commonly creates a suspension of knee-jerk judgments and creates a sense euphoria that is sometimes also referred to as an “altered state of consciousness.” As an amateur runner who averages only about 10 to 12 miles a week, I still concur with that statement.

Actually there are quite a few religious orders which use long-distance ultra-marathon running (anything over 26 miles) as a tool to transcend the body consciousness, to eliminate the mental limitations and biases, and to open up the mind to a new “floating” awareness which looks at the world from a brand new objective point of view. There are actually reports of out-of-body experiences among some ultra-runners as well.

The Shri Chinmoy Order headquartered in New York City, for example, is well known for the fantastic running feats it encourages its members to tackle in order to transcend the mind’s concepts about “physical reality” and the “body’s limitations.”

The Shri Chinmoy Marathon Team regularly organizes and participates in 50K and 100K races.

The “Running Monks” present another amazing fusion of running ands religious discipline.

In order to gain access to higher levels of consciousness through running, a certain Buddhist sect in Japan allegedly run (are you ready for this?) 100 marathons on 100 consecutive days!

Waking up at 1:30 a.m. in the morning, the monks pray and meditate for an hour. Then they hit the road and run 26 miles. After the marathon they are back to their normal daily chores nd prayers, and then to bed early in the evening.

The next day they do it all over again, for 100 days straight.

The monk who fails in the task, is asked to “end his life with the belt of his robe,” according to the Shri Chinmoy web site.

I’m all for pushing my body a little in order to reach a somewhat more elevated state of consciousness, humility and kindness.

But I don’t think I’ll ever reach a stage where I’d be going for the belt of my robe just because I can’t run 100 marathons in a row. I hope not anyways.