Establishing Your Running Street Cred
I need to solicit your opinions. I’ve been thinking about a certain quandary for a while, especially now that I have a few races under my belt.
So here’s the deal. You go to the race, check in, get your swag and then drop it off at the car. But you’re left with a choice: Do you wear your race shirt, or the coordinated ensemble you so carefully planned the night before (you know, just in case there are major hotties who happen to run at your pace)?
I’ve seen all sorts of people don their brand-new-technical-fabric -corporate-logo-splattered T-shirts. But this has raised a couple questions in my mind:
- Isn’t this breaking the cardinal rule of not wearing anything new on race day?
- And isn’t this kind of like wearing a Styx shirt to a Styx concert? It immediately brands you as either a Total Poser or Trying Too Hard.
Isn’t it superior (read: cooler) to wear a T-shirt of a similar but different band?* In the running context, this would mean wearing a shirt from a previous race, so that everyone could marvel at how amazing you are for having finished the Aunt Jemima’s Pancakes and Pogs 2K.***
Maybe tonight, instead of wearing the race shirt, my roommate and I will rock “I’m with stupid —>” T-shirts. Problem solved! We are obviously too cool for school.****
I can’t wait to report back tomorrow about how incredibly slow fast I ran this 1 mile race — hopefully with plenty of pictures!
*The band should be of an equal or greater awesomeness level (Bruce Springsteen). OR be so bad that it’s considered “irony” (Burt Bacharach).**
**Seriously, though, if you have a Burt Bacharach T-shirt please let me know.
***”I totally schooled that short stack, and then won a wicked sweet slammer.” Hey, anybody up for another virtual race?
****I also plan on bopping restaurant diners on the head and screaming “GRAY DUCK!” as I pass them.
Tags: burt bacharach, dennis deyoung, duck duck gray duck, running cred, theme race ideas
May 8th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
My thought has always been you don’t wear the race shirt until after you’ve completed the race. Thus to proudly show off you finished it. (I won’t lie though I broke this rule two weeks ago when I was home without a coat…it had been warm when i left to drive home…and the free race coat was all i had to wear the night before the race)
May 8th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
1. Could Total Poser and Trying Too Hard be considered redundant?
2. Maybe you’ve never heard “God Give Me Strength” by B. Bacharach — one of the greatest songs ever written. Try to find Elvis Costello’s version (or even Kristen Vigard’s version from the movie Grace of My Heart). You may change your tune, or at least give him props for that one.
3. It is now, and always has been, “Duck, duck…GOOSE.” (Is my inner-Iowegian showing?)
May 8th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I’m with Jess, I always thought that you’re not supposed to do it until after the race. I never wear race shirts anyway. Maybe to bed but that’s it LMAO!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:23 am
I guess I, too, am with jess.
but bear in mind I dont do races so I’ll prolly sport it during aforementioned activity and all day every day for the next week or 3.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:43 am
We had this SAME discussion before my last race! Leave the new t-shirt in the car. Don’t be one of “those” people.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Jess: I think you’ve got it.
Jane: I was just joshing about ol’ Burt. He gets all my props. But I’m sticking to my guns on duck vs. goose.
Marcy: I haven’t worn any of mine yet, either. Maybe next time I’m painting the house?
MizFit: Flaunt it, right?
RazZDoodle: Instead I’m one of the people snickering at “those” people. I’m not sure if that’s better…