In Opportunity privilege in running, I wrote about how, sometime when I watch
crowds go by in public spaces, I’d wonder why those who obviously need to go
out and run don’t and how the comparison to myself is not quite fair, because I
have the privilege of opportunity that others may not have. The comparison is
also not fair, because the reasons for which I run—my drivers—are different. I
run not to maintain a certain weight, to stay fit, to be healthy, etc. These do
matter to me, of course, but they are not really why I run, not what drives me,
not what gets me out the door—though the wind chill on the other side of the
door may be on the other side of zero. I run because running is part of my life—je
cours, donc je suis. :) So, to me, it’s not that big a deal to head out on a
Sunday morning into the rain for a 4-hour, 22-mile run. (OK, a bit more of a
deal than if it’d been sunny.) Fair comparison or not, the point I’d made about
opportunity privilege remains unchanged. I began running back in high school
and have not stopped since, including, for the past 10 years or so, “serious” marathon
training. That running has become part of my life is due in no small measure to
the privilege of opportunity I’ve had.
