Runners will say anything
I have this theory that runners will tell you just about anything about themselves. The reason, when you are on a run you never look each other in the eye. You are always shoulder-to-shoulder. Which seems to give freedom to words.
But there is also another reason. Runners are a ‘tribe.’
A few years ago Seth Godin wrote the book Tribes. He defines a Tribe a group where lasting and substantive change can be best effected: a group of people connected to each other.
That pretty much describes a running group. All members brought together by the idea of accomplishing a goal. In the case of a running group, those are divided into short and long term. The short-term is the run of the day. The long-term is the upcoming race the group is training for.
In a post on Seth’s blog, you find this.
Q: Why do people join tribes?
A: We all have a basic need to connect with other human beings. Making friends, connecting with others, sharing experiences, keeping up with popular culture, and keeping up with current trends and developments in your community all are ways and reasons for connecting with other people. When you connect with others in a fashion that allows you to develop a relationship that is especially useful, these long-term connections can be very helpful in guiding you through your life, as well as aid you in feeling happy. The following are some of the types of more specific motivations for joining tribes: • Purely Social: To feel less alone and to connect with people (near or far) to pursue shared interests. • Values + Social: To connect with others who share the same values in a social setting. • Cultural + Social: To share experiences with natives of the same country, to speak the shared language and observe cultural traditions together. • Business + Social: To develop relationships with others in the same industry or expand a network into other industries/markets.
From the definitions, Seth lists a running group could be classified as either ‘purely social’ or ‘values + social.’ We connect with people, ‘purely social,’ to pursue a shared interest and which is easier to when we are in a tribe. A running group might also fall into ‘values + social.’ If we consider the activity of running to support a personal value of staying fit/being healthy then yes it is ‘values + social.'
Runners connect to reach a goal but even more primal is the need to connect with other humans.
When we connect we will say just about anything.
