The Joy of Running

One of the best things Bill Watterson did when he created Calvin and Hobbes was that he gave us a beautiful reminder of what it is like to be a child ( at least in days before kids spent hours and hours in front of a screen). Calvin spends his days discovering and imagining ( even when he is forced to sit in the cold refines of the classroom). His attention span is seemingly short and he spends most of his time running about exploring absolutely everything he can. He doesn't even realize that he is, in some ways,  like the ants and continues on his way looking for the new best thing.  The difference between Calvin and the ants, of course, is that Calvin runs for joy and the ants run for work.  

As runners we are like both Calvin and the ants. Metaphorically, we are like the constantly busy ants. Our lives are busy. We run from thing to thing just to get things done. We need to get groceries, clean the house, do the laundry, get the kids to their activities, make our meals, and of course, get in a run. Life is busy, and training sometimes makes you feel like an ant, but in the end we are like Calvin: running for the joy of it. 

The joy that Calvin feels of course, has very little to do with the actual act of running but the joy of finding something new and interesting with his imaginary friend, Hobbes.Calvin goes everywhere with Hobbes, and some of his best learning experiences are when he is interacting with him. In this instance, he is able  to run without even thinking about it. If his teacher had asked Calvin to run around the track at school, he likely would have protested, and would have probably not succeeded- but to run with a friend to discover new things-this is magic. 

In the 1930's Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, wrote extensively about learning and the importance of social interaction.  Basically he said that learning results from a developing sense of belonging and identity in various contexts of participation.  In other words, he said that talking, socializing or just being around other people influences how we see ourselves, which in turn influences how we learn. He also wrote about how it is social interaction that allows learners to go beyond what they can do independently. and coined the term, Zone of Proximal Development. The Zone of Proximal Development is the distance between a person's actual independent ability and the level of potential development, which can be achieved with guidance from, or collaboration with others. In spite of the fact that his writings were criticized and censored by the old Soviet Union, he became, posthumously, one of the most influential persons in education theory.

Vygotsky was mostly speaking about cognitive development when he postulated his theories, however, I would extend them to include all aspects of learning.  When a child first learns to ride a bike, they do not just hop on and start riding. They are guided with the help of parents/siblings or friends to balance.  Someone may hold the bike until the child feels comfortable and gradually, lets go. On his own, a child would be unable to reach this goal ( at least not as quickly) but with others he is able to achieve what he couldn't on his own. When you run with a group, you not only get guidance from more experienced runners, but time spent chatting about running (and pretty much any other topic) helps refine your philosophy, your posture, your technique and your attitude.

Others are important to help a person achieve their goals, but they serve more than just an instructional purpose. Social interaction is enjoyable. Being around other people influences not just how we see ourselves, but also how much we enjoy or do not enjoy a particular activity. If we enjoy a particular activity, we are likely to continue. Without our 'Hobbes" in our lives, we would just be running around aimlessly like ants.

I ran like both an ant and Calvin this week for 60 kilometers, but could not have done it without my running friends. A particular shout out goes to my Marathon partner, Joan, who challenges me every week to go faster. And thanks to Steven Lowe for including me in his "Lowe Iron Runners" group, which is helping me get in my "zone." Thanks to all my running friends for being my Hobbes.

"As a runner much of your success comes from the people you surround yourself with"

John Stanton