On Sat, 6 Nov 1999, Ward Nicholson wrote:

> What is going on here is that serious distance runners are not strictly, or
> even primarily interested in health or appearance. They are interested in
> ultimate performance. Or for those who are not so competitive, if not that,
> then just the way running makes you feel while you are doing it, and the
> pleasure you get from it. This "serious runner" approach is usually, or at
> least often, somewhat at cross-purposes with health concerns.

I think that in the case of at least some of the serious runners
I know, health concerns do continue to figure prominently.  They
have convinced themselves that running is the key to health and
the cure for all ills.  Some of these guys compete; some do not.
But I find that I often encounter the belief that running is *the
key*, a mindset not different from what one encounters among
adherents of idealistic diets.  This is one of the factors that
drives them into a running program that is beyond what is in fact
good for them.  It should go without saying that some people who
do weight training are prone to exactly the same pattern of
behavior.

Todd Moody
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