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Distance runners are forged on the roads – a solitary existence with open terrain in front and behind, where pain is magnified with each step and the race may last hours. As the competition gets fiercer and slower runners give up on competition, the stark contrasts blur together into one focused lens.
Marc Parent is a “newbie” runner and columnist for Runner’s World who is just beginning to experience life as a distance runner. Parent can barely run a mile, whereas I can run twenty, yet we both feel the same soreness and emotions every day.
In his article “The Secret Life of a Runner,” Parent utilizes false narrative, his secret weapon, to endure the agony he puts himself through. “Some people laugh as not to cry. I dream so as not to collapse.” The fantasies range from racing against Lance Armstrong to running from villains alongside Matt Damon.
As a runner, I have received Runner’s World magazine for years but never paid much attention to anything besides feature stories and pictures. It was not until recently, when I decided upon a career in journalism, that I started reading the articles closely. To my surprise, I realized what it is about journalism that intrigued me: the excitement of seeing a story first-hand and the ability to share that experience through words to readers.
I admire the responsibility reporters have, delivering new and potentially captivating information. Of all the writers at Runner’s World, I identify with Parent and his writing the most; the luxury of going out for a run, then writing alluring articles about each workout. It must be difficult to make subsequent runs sound more exciting, but he finds a way.
We both share dual passions of writing and running—despite differences in ability—which I strive to embrace through my articles at the CU Independent.
I think of running, whether directly or indirectly, throughout the day. Will I cramp up during my workout if I eat this burrito? Will this game of basketball tire my legs before my race tomorrow? I should do my homework soon, before it becomes too cold to run.
Parent brought something to my attention—even while continually thinking about running, when the action is gone, I try to think of something else, something more fun or less exhausting.
His article describes the mental processes a runner experiences when facing fatigue; whether it hits at half a mile or after twenty. His column is known as the “Newbie Chronicles” and I never expected how similar our experiences could be. To get through monotonous, painful runs, I too often imagine I’m in a different situation; possibly running a race at the Olympics.
Runners and writers fail constantly for various reasons. A journalist should do his job by experiencing what they’re writing; exhilarating articles are not written while watching American Idol from the couch. You need to be there, be in the action, see the news first hand, smell it and feel it. Parent, in his endeavor to chronicle the daily life of a runner, not only runs—he becomes a nutritionist, a weight lifter and a running buddy.
I want to be a journalist to share my experiences and to gain new ones. Writing about running would give me a sense of pride: to show readers how I put myself through hell on a daily basis, and why I’m not crazy for doing so.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Adrian Kun at Adrian.Kun@colorado.edu.
