THERE ARE SUPERSTITIONS....

Scott C

Runners, Roadies, Rituals and Superstitions

There are superstitions (so sings Stevie Wonder here)....  And then there are rituals.  And, then there is OCD!

Perhaps one of the most recent, popular and downright funny rituals is the setting up of the ubiquitous “staging area” that me and so many others take the time to build -- right down to the compression socks, the sunglasses, and the GUs we’ll use -- and then we’ll photograph the area and send out the pics to our several hundred Facebook friends.

Where do we draw the line? Where do we separate rituals from superstitions or make a clear distinction? What should pass for behavior inherent to an athlete vs. behavior bordering on OCD?

For several months prior to the 2012 Boston Marathon, hidden away in our closet at home, there was a gorgeous burnt-orange 2012 Boston Marathon jacket, women’s size small, with the Boston Athletic Association unicorn logo proudly embroidered in black stitching and declaring the 116^th running of the Boston Marathon.

It’s truly a beautiful jacket that most would be chomping at the bit to wear when out running in Central Park or just casually walking around town, but its owner -- a certain Flyer Ms. Elle G -- had steadfastly refused to wear it until early in the afternoon of April 17^th after she had crossed the finish line of her first Boston Marathon with hopefully a new PR (and possibly not until after taking a cold shower upon running in the near record heat endured by those who ran the race!).

Sound familiar? Anybody else out there who might also adhere to what might be the number one ritual (or is it a superstition?) among the running camp that you never ever wear your race t-shirt, jacket or any form of racing apparel until after you have actually run and finished said race?

I know I’ve always fallen in line with this ritual, superstition or belief that somehow wearing the race shirt before the race will have an adverse negative influence on how I run, how I think, how I perform on the stage I have wanted to be on through my hours of sweat, self doubt, shaken confidence, tearing up my body and mind in preparation for “the day.”

Or can it be more an issue of one’s OCD vs. superstition since we see plenty of runners wearing their race t-shirt during the actual race?  What are they thinking? Are they normal like me? Or clearly they must be a running “newbie” so untrained and unadvised in the “normal” ways of the distance runner who has taken on so many risks, sacrificed so many birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs and other assorted social opportunities in pursuit of one more PR!

Any body see themselves in the mirror yet?

Certainly there are other “items of distinction" held onto such as your lucky socks, or perhaps your running shorts from 1981, your lucky running shoes with holes on the bottom almost bigger than a newborn's fist or a running cap from your first “destination" marathon. Or, maybe it's your first marathon medal that you need to kiss before you’ll kiss your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend or kids on your next 26.2 mile endeavor?  Or does the need to touch something, maybe once or twice or even three times reflect a superstition aimed to guarantee the optimal racing experience.  I’ve yet to hear anybody say they have a lucky or favorite “porta potty” they must visit but, hey, you never know, right?

Hard Luck Stories

For me, I have two hard luck stories to share here regarding “items of distinction" …..

The first was several years ago on a very windy Verrazano bridge at the start of the NYC Marathon. I was feeling good, ready to zip through Brooklyn like I stole something, ready to welcome all who clearly came out just for me as I bolted off the 59^th Street Bridge onto First Avenue, ready to tear down any wall anyone or anything had the nerve to put in front of me when……the gusty winds at the start on the bridge blew my lucky racing visor clear off my head and into the direction of the forty thousand or more runners behind me!

What could I do? Stop and pick it up?

For a fleeting moment I felt like Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away when Wilson (the volley ball) floats away and Tom can’t reach it so he sobs and sobs and sobs. I will forever miss that visor; we had some amazing runs and shared some great times together.

Tom Hanks in Cast Away with his Beloved Wilson

My other hard luck story involves my favorite baby blue t-shirt I got after finishing Ironman Austria in 2004, which in itself was a personal victory for me because I had to cancel on the event I was going to do with three other Flyers just a few weeks before the race due to an injury before finally redeeming myself.  On the bright side, I never lost it and am grateful that I still have what might be my favorite race t-shirt ever because of its color, its design, and its personal meaning for me.  But it’s long been riddled with holes throughout simply from wearing it too much, lifting weights in it too much, sweating in it too much, and running in it too much.  I believe that a lesson learned is to savor those things you love that offer some personal meaning or remembrance in your life.

It's Not Just a Runner Thing

So much for those crazy runners but what about “roadies” (i.e., cyclists) and their own habits, beliefs and superstitions?

The most common ones as you might guess are to talk about never “flatting” and of course then going out on a ride and actually getting a flat.

Others involve such important priorities as when is the right time to shave the legs before a big race, mounting a bike from the left vs. the right, never washing a race jersey while you're winning races or riding exceptionally well, never hurling a “loogie” from your left nostril over your right shoulder, and never ever getting a bib numbered “13”

This article would not be complete without including one more species of athlete….the “triathlete” or as the roadie cyclist might say a cyclist's “dysfunctional cousin.”

What strange customs abound in the triathlete’s world of aero bikes, helmets and wheel sets? Do we take the prize in “weirdness” because we have to perform not one but three different disciplines all in the same race?

Not a ritual but a mantra I have used in every Ironman I have raced is to repeat to myself  “It’s Showtime” as I’m nervously peeing in my wetsuit while waiting for the mass swim start of the race to begin. I find it helps me to focus a bit more.

Or are triathlete’s so Type A or so tightly wrapped in Lycra and compression wear that we are beyond any weirdness, ritual or superstitions?

Well…….NO not really as here are some samplings from some assorted racing forums I have read:

• Don’t let anyone touch you on the morning of an Ironman except other triathletes
• Always have race kit washed and hung up to drip dry the night before the event (guilty here)
• Always say "thank you" to the volunteers (a case can be made that saying thanks is event-universal)
• Pump tires in pre-morning darkness while squinting at pressure gauge so as not to…well you know
• Make sure to touch the finish line three times the day before the race
• Always mount the bike with the right leg
• And, like our road cyclist friends…..when do I shave my legs?

The closing here is that there isn’t a closing and that superstitions or rituals abound whether you are a marathon runner who will only use a particular anti-chafing ointment or a baseball player who spits in his hands. They may possibly define us and can even add a measure of  “order” or a discipline that has become as common as the discipline or practice of running has become in our lives. Maybe the superstitions help us on some level.  Maybe the only differences are how weird yours might be viewed to the world vs. my own, but if it helps us cope with pre-race anxiety or serves our objectives in ways that work only for us, then let weirdness rule and may the athlete within always reign.

Keep calm and run like hell my friends J

-Scott C