Every spring, my family and I take a trip to the beach in South Carolina for a week. Some years we happen to be there at the same time the PGA Golf Tournament is in town. I’ve never been a golfer, or been interested in watching a tournament on TV or in person. Therefore, I can’t relate to the thousands of people who flock to this particular tournament just to spend their entire day watching golf. These folks post up all day out on the course—just to catch a glimpse of their favorite golfer, possibly witness a hole-in-one, or just take in the overall sights and sounds of a pro-level tournament. Meanwhile, my family is busy SUP boarding with the dolphins, taking family-style bike rides along the beach, competing in epic bocce ball games, or taking 25 mile bike rides with only 3 feet of elevation gain. I’m not judging the golf crowd–but seeing these golf fanatics makes me ask the question, why do we do what we do?
John Logar – Winner on foot, 2014 Iditarod Trail Invitational 1,000 mile race (pictured here somewhere that is not Alaska)
Some people prefer walking around the neighborhood with Fido three times a week to stretch their legs. Others prefer going to the gym and walking on the treadmill while watching the Weather Channel. Of course, there are the extremists out there who need to compete in 1,000 mile ultra runs…in Alaska…in February. And those who set out on the Appalachian Trail with the intent of breaking the all-time speed record. Heck, did you know there was a record for longest distance cycled while riding backwards? Any guesses on the distance? Myself, every year I jump on a Penny Farthing bicycle to race alongside 29 other lunatics even though I know there is a reason why the Safety Bicycle was invented.
Rob Stull, Blackwater Bikes – placing 2nd in the 2015 Frederick High Wheel Race
So, what makes you do what you do? Is it for the endorphins? Or for the feeling you get when we cross the finish line and look over and see the smile on our mom’s face? Or maybe we do it because Doc Ed said we best start exercising? My mom and sisters all have a Fitbit so they can track their daily steps. It motivates them as they try to reach their daily goal of 10,000 steps. When I was younger, I kept a running log. Nowadays I use Strava to track my activities. Although my primary focus is to track my personal performance, I do find myself seeing how I stack up to other Strava users—I can’t help it, it’s the competitor in me.
No matter what your reason for getting out and “getting your steps in”, I say go for it–even if it is by walking from hole to hole at a PGA Golf Tournament. I mean, we could all be sitting on the couch watching a NASCAR Race for exercise—and then who would be King/Queen of the Mountain on that Strava route?
-Rob