Running is the reason I...

FYI: My Toes Are Never This Happy

So, at one point in the movie that inspired this blog, Edward Norton's character says "Fight Club became the reason to cut your hair short or trim your fingernails."  It was part of the dedication they built to the ideas Fight Club represented.  They weren't grooming for looks or hygiene...they were grooming because not grooming damaged the fight or at least the chance at winning the fight.  Running is the same way.  Over the last 18 months or so, a lot of my personal habits have been either inspired by or adjusted for running.

It starts with the toenails.  I never paid much attention to them....I'm so tall and they're so far away.  If I did, it had to do with the women in my life...they didn't want me scratching them with my hideously long foot talons.  One even went as far as cutting them herself...had to marry that one.  These days, long toenails get impacted by the front of my running shoes, turn black and fall off.  I've lost about 5 of them this year alone.  So, I cut them regularly now.  For Run Club!

Now, if you see me looking at the sky at night, I'm not stargazing.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Orion's Belt as much as the next guy, but I'm really trying to get a read on the moonlight.  Y'see, if I've got a full moon, I can put on some light clothing the following morning and not need to wear my reflective vest.  No moon?  Cloudy sky?  The vest is a must.  Safety first, right?


A lot of my daily operations are influenced by the addiction, as well.  I can't just put on underwear in the morning...I've got to think about the next morning.  Am I running?  Then I need running-appropriate underwear.  Can't have myself swinging around banging off my legs while running...and God forbid it's cold outside.  The word 'discomfort' does not begin to describe it.  During the day, I find myself sitting up straighter with my feet flat on the floor.  Can't risk creating a random ache or pain that might turn into a lingering injury during my next 10 mile run.  At night or on the weekends, I've cut out damn near all of my alcohol consumption.  It kinda sucks.  What doesn't suck is being able to wake up fresh in the morning and NOT conking out 3 miles early because of dehydration.  Even when I do drink, I fool my friends by loudly ordering a Long Island Iced Tea to start the night and then quietly ordering Shirley Temples for the rest of the night.

They get drunk, I stay sober and no one is the wiser...oh wait...