On I went, out of the wood, passing the man leading without knowing I was going to do so. Flip-flap, flip-flap, jog-trot, jog-trot, curnchslap-crunchslap, across the middle of a broad field again, rhythmically running in my greyhound effortless fashion, knowing I had won the race though it wasn't half over, won it if I wanted it, could go on for ten or fifteen or twenty miles if I had to and drop dead at the finish of it, which would be the same, in the end, as living an honest life like the governor wanted me to. -Alan Sillitoe, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"

Friday, March 11, 2011

The horror, the horror!

You'll do, Runner's World, but you're NO Running Times.
I realized today as I was thumbing through this month's Runner's World that it's been a while since my last issue of Running Times. And we all know how much I love Running Times. Like, a lot. The last issue I remember receiving is December. I know they don't publish 12 months a year, but I definitely did not receive a January/February issue. And here we are into the second week of March and I've yet to receive a March issue.

But I swear, I never received a renewal notice! Is it possible they emailed it to me and I let it go to my junk mail?

OH HOLY HELL. I JUST REALIZED WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. My dad gave me my subscription for Christmas in '09, and obviously he never renewed it. Breathe, Tracy.

Never fear. I'm now subscribed for the next two years. Phew. (Incidentally, Running Times has the worst upsell of anything I've bought online in some time. I think I had to click through four "no thanks, I don't want this $20 add-on" pages to finally be able to place my order.)

For serious I do not want anything but your magazine. And yeah,
I'm reading my own blog right now in another tab. What of it?
I mentioned this HUGE, GIANT PROBLEM OF MINE to a friend who said, "I think maybe the magazine is out of print. I think probably the editorial board woke up one day and said to themselves, 'I believe we've said everything that could ever be said about running. One foot forward, then the other foot...'"
__________________

On a serious note, I would be remiss if I didn't mention something about the untimely passing of Sally Meyerhoff earlier this week. Others have discussed her death more poignantly than I could. In short, she was an amazing runner/athlete and by all accounts a warm and gracious person, too. I don't think there's a larger lesson in victim blaming to be made here - yes, she missed a stop sign while riding - who amongst us hasn't? We all know that traffic laws should be obeyed and we all choose to be selective about when we follow the law to its letter. What happened, however it came about, is sad. Be careful. Live life to the fullest.

And if you want to see victim blaming, read how the NYTimes and other media covered the (effectively consensual, by their reporting) gang rape of an 11 year old girl in Texas. According to the Times, the accused perpetrators are mostly good kids and basketball players; it's the fault of the girl's mother for allowing her daughter to go to that area, and the girl had been in this "bad" area before (so you know what that means...).

I'm sorry for that digression. And my thoughts and condolences go out to Sally's family and friends.

Updated: When you plan your blog posts the night before, you don't have the ability to predict terrible earthquakes and other disasters and instead you blog mostly about something flip. Obviously my thoughts are with the people of Japan, and Hawaii, and now the west coast.
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownFri Mar 11, 06:47:00 PM EST

    That NY Times report was... repulsive. God. 11? Really?

    On a totally inappropriate lighter note, are you going to be at the St. Patrick's Marathon? Send me an email.

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  2. SunnyDFri Mar 11, 08:45:00 PM EST

    Totally agree. I freaked out over the comment by the neighbor who was all, "where was this girl's mother?" As a mother, I'm wondering, what the hell did the parents of the boys and men NOT teach their children to understand how absolutely wrong rape and child molestation is?

    As for the runner's world, is it bad that as a "recreational/fitness athlete" I'm totally tired of reading about world record setters? I mean, I know I'll never be a career athlete. I don't think I'll ever get down to below 9:45/miles on pretty much any distance. I just do it because I like the way it makes me feel. I guess I want a running magazine written about those kinds of people. Running vacations, running camps, running social groups, etc. But I did love Peter Sagal's editorial. :-)

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  3. TSat Mar 12, 01:29:00 PM EST

    Was that the editorial about his dog? Because I got really, really choked up reading that.

    I know what you mean about Runner's World. I run for exactly the same reason you do (and probably slower than you!). Sometimes, though, I don't feel like the magazine is taking me seriously as an athlete - like this month's article about weight loss. I would like more stuff about the social aspects of running, and I typically like the columns (but not the "newbie chronicles" - this month he just phoned it in).

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  4. shelbySun Mar 13, 02:58:00 PM EDT

    Hey Tracy,

    I think readers of blogs understand that bloggers have more than blogging and auto-post is necessary.. so when the latest news isn't mentioned, I don't think anyone judges. We know you care :)

    Very sad about Sally :(

    It pisses me off they way things were laid out regarding that girl who got raped. It makes me sick to my stomach. And articles like that are why I would let newspapers sit, unsold, on the newsstand. If all media ends up internet and television, what are we really losing? The big papers are marionettes to the big companies who spin things the way they want and the real stories are so hidden behind twists and political bull that you never know the truth. Okay, rant over. That article really irritated me AND led me to rediscover my hate for big papers. Sorry! :)

    Glad you reordered your favorite magazine. A bit surprised they didn't just keep charging your dad and sending it to you, though, because magazines are notorious for that!

    Adorable pic of you reading, btw :)

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