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December 5, 2009
Once A Runner
Lately I've been on a cleaning/cleansing kick. And "cleansing" to me means "if you haven't used it within the past month - it's going in the trash!"
I am the anti-packrat. I hate clutter and I hate keeping "junk". Material things don't seem to hold much sentimental value to me. For example I have friends that have boxes full of old letters or cards they got from their boyfriends/husbands. And I think "seriously?? really??" I throw that stuff away ASAP. Perhaps it will be different when I have children and I will want to keep every art project they ever made, but I honestly can't even picture that.
This was a source of contention when O and I were first married. Because he is a Grade A Pack Rat. He KEPT everything. Notice I said "kept". He's come around to my way of thinking. Although he won't allow me to throw away anything that has to do with taxes. That's his only rule. And I'm not permitted to go through this drawers unsupervised either. :)
Anyway, the other day I decided our books had to go. I mean why keep a bunch of old books? Let's face it, the books are lucky that we read them the first time, let alone the chance that they would ever be picked up again (neither O or I are big readers). So why not give them to the library and let someone else read them? Plus, we'd then have a lot of free shelf space for...something...(which eventually ended up being race medals/awards because I do keep those).
So first the text books had to go. Yes, somehow text books that are close to 10 years old survived my wrath all these years! After thinking on it some, I can't believe we actually moved with these books 3 or 4 times. Craziness! They got thrown in the trash because libraries won't take old text books. And for good reason. Those things are like dinosaurs.
Next up were O's books. Donation bound. Except for about 3 or 4 books that he actually never read but claimed were "on his list". I agreed to keep them but let's just say, I'm not holding my breath that they will actually get read within the next 5 years.
Finally my books. Some nutrition type books that I decided could go as well as some "triathlon training" books. Nope, that's why I have a coach now. I don't have to read how to train because someone tells me what to do (thankfully). And then...then I came across my running book collection.
Wow.
We're talking some serious classics here people. Some of them I was willing to give up (O is taking them in to school offer them up to his cross country runners) but some of them... Geez, not even I, a heartless throw-everything-away fiend, had the heart to part with these ones.
Stuff like Running with the Buffaloes, Running Tide (Joanie's book), The Silence of Great Distance, The Quotable Runner (I think I had that thing memorized at one point in my life), Dark Marathon... Good stuff.
And the king of all kings - Once a Runner.
I hope I don't have to explain what that book is about, but I know some of the triathletes that might read this blog aren't from a running background. To them I say - Once a Runner is a cult classic and if you truly are a runner you need to read it. (and the name of my blog is an obvious reference to the book)
Just holding my copy of the book was like travelling back 15 years when I was in high school and read the book about 20 times straight.
I flipped through the pages and saw how I had certain parts highlighted. OH man! The memories!
Needless to say, that's one of the few I kept. Actually, at one point the book went out of production and copies were selling for $200++. Of course, no matter how much I needed the money I would never sell it.
So there might be hope for my future childrens' art projects. I have shown that I'm capable of some compassion. :)
I leave you some of my favorite quotes from THE book. It was hard to just pick a few...
"...running to him was real, the way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as a diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free..."
"Heart has nothing to do with it. In the final straight, everyone has heart."
"Although overdistance laid the foundation, intervals made the runner mean. Quenton Cassidy (the book's hero) liked them. Others preferred bamboo splinters under their nails. Cassidy figured that a natural affinity for interval work was the difference between those who liked to race and those who liked to train. And there is a difference. Racers express little enchantment with training."
And finally...
"And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rendering process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. How could they be expected to understand that?"
The Trail of Miles indeed. It's a journey I've been on for a long time...
Posted by beth at December 5, 2009 8:13 PM
Comments
I feel like such a fraud. I haven't read any of those books, and before having a kid I would have considered myself a big reader.
And I'm impressed you got O to change his way. It's a big source of contention with David and I. He keeps EVERYTHING and I keep nothing. And aside from all the crap he has here, I understand in his parents basement there are boxes and boxes of stuff we'll be inheriting when his parents sell their house.
Posted by: Angela Kidd at December 5, 2009 9:14 PM
Our household sounds a lot like yours! My husband thinks there is something wrong with me since I lack sentimental attachment to most things. I will admit that I saved Elena's first drawing and her first painting is in our dining room.
Posted by: Rebecca at December 5, 2009 10:16 PM
That book went on my radar when "Runners World" did a write up. Good book. I never did get through the new sequel yet. One of the many books I started, and didn't finish this year. :-)
Do not even get me started on clutter. My philosophy, which sounds like it is yours too, "When in doubt throw it out." Unfortunately my wife wins the arguments. I got 18 tons of crap in my house. I would be willing to throw out 20 of the 18 tons.
Posted by: Steve at December 6, 2009 3:58 AM
OH - I am right in the middle of reading Once A Runner for the first time!!! And I am just like you and purging everything, I hate clutter :) It's funny that O has crossed over to the darkside! HEHEHE
Posted by: Elizabeth at December 6, 2009 11:14 AM
I'm a HUGE thrower-away-er, but NEVER books. oh man.
once a runner is great. did you know it randomly last year went back on the new your times bestseller list when it went back it was back into publication. and all these critics were like what is this book??
Posted by: Kelly at December 6, 2009 11:51 AM
Oh yea you should see the piles of stuff I have packed up while Rich is gone. He is like O, lotsa stuff and lotsa chotch-keys, not sure how to spell that. I want to save my anat/phys books for reference but i suspect some of the phys stuff is outdated!
But in all seriousness, your junk is someone else's treasure so i know people will appreciate it!
Posted by: julia at December 6, 2009 5:50 PM
I am a pack rat. Maybe it is a math nerd thing.
Posted by: maija at December 6, 2009 5:57 PM
you sound like my husband scott. he seriously throws away stuff he needs... he is super clean and neat so i guess i can't complain lol
Posted by: Heidi Austin at December 6, 2009 8:49 PM
Love that book. maybe i'll re-read it. Let me go find a highlighter ;-)
Posted by: Maggs at December 6, 2009 10:55 PM
he he...you'd love my house...one room is a dedicated library and books line the walls from floor to ceiling. the wonder of words never grows old for me.(although i have to say i haven't read any of the books you listed...time to put them on the reading list!!!)
you'd probably think that i was a packrat(although i don't keep medals or trophies) but i guess that i really just hate throwing things away - i find our society thinks that everything is disposable...and i hate waste. so if i really find the need to buy something in the first place(that i can't borrow or get second hand) and then discover i no longer have a need for it, i'd rather recycle(or compost it) or find a way to re-use it and if not, donate it. but yeah, our "garbage" is pretty empty ;)
Posted by: kerrie at December 7, 2009 12:15 AM
Oh I could never throw away Shaun's letters and cards. And there is a lot of them.
We did do the chucking out of textbooks when we moved into our current house. I even found Uni assignments. And why did I keep old out of date law books is beyond me.
Shaun has just finished reading Once A Runner. Now it's my turn.
Posted by: Angelina at December 7, 2009 6:09 AM
Books are the best!
Posted by: Charisa at December 7, 2009 4:44 PM