Sunday, December 10, 2006

Fantasy Running

I'm a nerd, and I proudly proclaim my nerdiness. I have three children, all of whom are little nerds and with my influence, will grow to become well-adjusted adult nerds. There's nothing wrong with being a nerd, as long as you embrace your position in life.

I really had no chance. I was part of the Star Wars generation. I can still remember the specific times I saw the original movies growing up. I remember my mother letting me stay up late on Sunday evening to watch Episode IV: A New Hope on TV. That was big deal back then, before VHS or DVD. The movie started at 9:00PM which meant it would end well past my bedtime, but my mom, knowing how ugly Star Wars mania can be, let me watch the flick.

I wish I could say my mania has subsided over the years, but that's not the case. You see, my obsession blossomed like a fine wine gaining intensity over the years. A few years back, George Lucas decided to make a new set of movies for my children's generation and that was all I needed. Now my kids love Star Wars as much as me, and I'm lost in the universe again.

Most of my nerdiness wraps around Star Wars, but I really enjoy all things nerdy such as: Tolkien, Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars, toy soldiers, Star Wars, etc. During college I cleverly hid my nerdiness with binge drinking and managed to attract a fairly normal mate, my wife. After marriage, however, I abandoned all pretense and became nerd-tastic once again.

She doesn't understand.

This whole marathon thing is a sort of rebellion against the inner nerd. Nerds, after all, generally don't pursue anything physical but rather fantasy. Video games, role-playing games, miniatures (my passion), and card games all provide sufficient outlets for nerds to express themselves without actually being themselves. Instead of running a marathon, a true nerd would download the latest massive multiplayer online marathon running role playing game and spend eighteen hours a day "leveling up" thier marathon character. Over time, the real body would deteriorate into a pimpled, amorphous mass. But online, their character would be a running god, capable of athletic feats yet unknown in the modern world.

Unfortunately, the 1.7 miles I ran today was very real. Nothing fantasy about the burn in my legs, or the slight feeling that I was going to throw up as I circled the Ruritan Club in downtown Finchville. In the end, though, I ran well. Much better than earlier this week. I know it's only been a week, but I feel stronger already. In addition, a great sense of accomplishment swells inside you when you finish a workout.

Week one is over, and I see no reason to stop at this point.

1 comment:

smacky said...

Geez!! Almost 2 miles! I can't imagine! Good job!! Very good description of a nerd marathoner. Having played my way through Fable, 2 X-Men games on the XBox, several NeverwinterNights modules on my PC and most of Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance I know well the thrill of leveling my character to marathon-god-like status. Well described!!!