Doomsday stories
A little information can be a dangerous thing when everyone becomes an expert.
When I took up training, I suddenly became the recipient of everyone and their dog’s doomsday stories.
You know, the guy that dropped dead, just like that, at the age of 45, even though he ran 10km every day? Or the woman that keeled over from a heart attack, halfway through a fun run? I’m sure you’ve either heard the exact same tale or one so similar that they could be interchangeable.
I am not denying the truth of these stories. It does happen on a regular basis and it is sad. But if I announced I was a heavy smoker with a penchant for eating KFC every day, would people wheel out the stories of someone with a similar lifestyle who had died then? I suggest not.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think people remember those sudden deaths of otherwise healthy people because it is unusual and surprising. I believe it also makes less active people feel better about their own lifestyles. It’s a great justification – well, so-and-so ate well and exercised regularly but it didn’t stop them dying young, did it?
It seems a rather slim justification given the overwhelming medical evidence of the benefits of exercise, which makes the expression grasping at straws appropriate.
Besides, why do people have to share these stories with me? How can it possibly benefit them? Can't they leave me alone to get on with my training in peace?
Apparently not because along with the doomsday stories, I was also informed all about the dangers of training, particularly running – from people who had never tried it. My grandmother earnestly urged me to be careful with my knees. She had a good point.
But then again, your knees tend to get a bit creaky as you age anyway, so I might as well put mine to use while they’re in good working order.
Then there are those people that have to put everyone else down to make him or herself feel better. I expect you’ve got at least one in your circle of friends or acquaintances.
I can be an easy target for these people, along the lines of “oh, I’ll finish the race, go home and get changed and be back in time to see you finish”. Yes, well, that may be true, but did you have to point it out quite so brutally?
It was one of these people who told me my half marathon times were “quite good” given how much I had to carry around the course. I’m not sure if it succeeded in the purpose of making her feel better, but it’s certainly seared into my memory.
Have you heard your share of doomsday stories? Or been lectured on the dangers of your choice of exercise? Or been the target of put-downs to boost someone else's self-esteem?
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I would sympathise, but... I announced that I was going to take up a healthier lifestyle (I have become alarmingly sedentary in the last few years) and my parents bought me a pedometer for Christmas. Then the brother-in-law pointed out "hey! there's a marathon coming up in a few months!". So I have almost the opposite problem! It's nice to know that I have people around encouraging me though.
You're right about the 'healthy people dropping like flies' stories though - they stick in the mind much better than the 'unhealthy lifestyle reaps obvious consequences' stories.
About those friends of yours though: "Then there are those people that have to put everyone else down to make him or herself feel better. I expect you’ve got at least one in your circle of friends or acquaintances." I USED to have one of these "friends". When you discover that you feel dread or unhappiness at the prospect of seeing a 'friend', that's when you have to admit that they're not a friend. and that's what tends to happen to people who put others down all the time, for whatever reason.
I'm naturally a very pale and small person so find that whenever i'm being 'put down' its usually by someone who is either fake tanned to the nines or insecure about their own weight. My fav one so far has to be when i was being called goth (due to the pale skin colour) so i raved about slitting my wrists and being emo for ages...they left with nothing to say.
I guess there are the odd heavy drinking, two pack a day smoker who lives into there 90's or beyond. However I wouldn't recommend that as a lifestyle.
Being a triathlete, I get it all, what about your knees? what if you get knocked of your bike? what about sharks?
I was asked the other day 'are there were many fatalities during an ironman given the extreme levels of stress placed on the body?' I promptly replied 'only about 2/3 of us will live through the day :)'
When I tell people I play hockey they constantly say what a dangerous sport it is. Yet in three seasons I've only ever seen maybe two or three people leave the field with injuries. Compared to rugby or league that's absolutely nothing! It's not really much different to cricket in an injury sense (and arguably better because you are constantly moving, not like cricket which is very stop-start).
Once, when I told same Canadians I played hockey they thought I was really hardcore, until they realised it was field hockey and not ice hockey.
One of my first ever events was a half marathon. A colleague said to me afterwards "Did you think you'd be that slow??". Strangely, I have never run another half marathon.
I've had the knee warnings too, but if the dire stories of people dropping dead during events are ever mentioned in my hearing, it's usually not as a warning story, it's just someone commenting on the situation/article.
Mostly I get my mother making worried noises about me not doing enough exercise (family history + my current weight = extra worried mother). I tread a fine line keeping her happy - not too much running (to protect my hips & knees) but enough exercise overall (to stop the harping about heart disease & weight/size). Of course, she conveniently forgets that it took me 2 years of nagging to get her to try swimming, and now she swims 3-4 days a week.
"Then there are those people that have to put everyone else down to make him or herself feel better. I expect you’ve got at least one in your circle of friends or acquaintances."
No I don't. Why would I? Life's too short.
My fathers father and grandfather died of heart attacks early 50's, he gave up smoking and started running marathons in his early 20's by the time he was 50 his elder brother too died of a heart attack, six generations of women down to my grandmother have died from bowel cancer and my nana has had her bowel removed, my mother got two different types of cancer and as given a year to live, 7 years later she is still ticking along. My sister is a bodybuilder, the other pratically a vegan. Before my 2 month xmas break and darling stress fracture I ran 10k a day, I still smoke like a train and drink like a fish, you got a one in three chance no matter how healthy you is, stress stands for a lot, I plan to be happy.
Having car racing as my sport is good for stories of doom and gloom. People ask me very often "aren't you afraid you'll crash and die?".
I generally reply that I've only died a couple of times recently, but I'm feeling much better now.
Then I make good my escape while they are trying to work out what I've just said.
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From my moniker you can probably guess I'm not the thinnest twig in the bush. Was told, having taken a catch then thrown someone out at softball "for a big guy you can actually move quite well". - Better than you, matey!