Friday, January 1, 2010

Who Needs Stickers? I Have Blisters.

As I settled in to watch the Oregon/Ohio State football game, I noticed the stickers plastered on the Buckeye’s helmets (they probably didn't even deserve them-GO PSU).  Being a huge college football fan I often see teams that recognize their players who unleash great plays throughout the season with helmet stickers.  


What are runners’ stickers to prove that we work just as hard as other athletes?

- Toenails cracking with some nice shades of black and blue

- Blisters (Picture below was the latest blister thanks to the Richmond Marathon)

- Bloody Nipples


This is what I cherish about running, everyday we punish our bodies without any public recognition. Yet for many of us we wouldn't have it any other way.


Happy New Year--Here’s to 2,010 (20-10) and many more running stickers!


5 comments:

  1. how about pr's? one of my favorite passages in OAR has Cassidy and his running partner discussing pr's as pseudonyms. For example: Mr. 4:05.6 (1500) or Mrs. 2:20.1 (800). I know its not as visual as the buckeye stickers, but sometimes when I'm amongst other runners i feel that we all have these numbers tattooed on our foreheads. For example, once you realize that someone is a 2:30 marathoner, doesn't this irrevocably change the way you interact with that person? (assuming you are a runner and understand the shear ridiculousness involved in running 6:00 minute miles for 26.2!) In some way, isn't this similar to the buckeye sticker (in which those with more stickers are deserving of more respect from their peers)?

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  2. Oh. My. Word. You say "soda" and rag on my Ohio boys (I'm from Cleveland).. It's okay though, Ohio State won! :)

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  3. Eek, scary toe. You definitely deserve a sticker for that one! Happy New Year!

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  4. Shawn-valid point man. I def see where you're coming from and completely agree. I was going with more of a visual feel to this quick post. Usually you need to ask someone their PR, but having blood dripping off your singlet after a race or seeing someone with a huge blister you realize right away that they worked just as hard as you and probably deserve a 'sticker'. But, I def agree that a PR is a much better 'sticker'. Thanks for your input!

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