Monday, January 10, 2011

you canNOT be serious!

Something smacked me across the face Sunday evening and left a bitter taste in my mouth.  We all have reasons for living our lives as we do.  Every person comes to daily mile for something different.  Each of us takes away something different to apply in life.  Whether it is one more mile run, a few seconds shaved off the PR, that last 5 pounds dropped, or to simply hear another voice express the thoughts in my own head.


  • A person questioned the seriousness of Daily Mile.  The idea is that Daily Mile is not for "the serious athlete".  Who said Daily Mile has to be serious.  Or silly.  Or anything other than what you want it to be when you log in at that time.
  • What you discover in exploring the posts of Daily Mile and fleshing out those relationships beyond the pages of the website is a plethora of emotion - joy, pain, suffering, elation, heartbreak, loss, rejuvenation and resurrection.
  • Some friends have dealt with the loss of unborn children.
  • More than a few friends have battled through serious injury to achieve amazing goals.
  • A few are still sidelined by injury, dealing with the mental and emotional toll of not seeing the desired results.  Sometimes "wanting" is not enough.
  • One is wading through the devastation of a crumbling relationship.
  • Another runs in memory of a lost loved one, but sidelined by illness.
  • At least one friend runs alone.  Without support of family.
  • More than a few have made remarkable strides in health and weight loss, simply because.
  • There is the amazing runner burned with Boston and another 4 months of running with a sliver of glass buried in her foot.
  • Some run while struggling with unemployment, or work that is less than satisfying.  Devoid of meaning.
  • A person saw the light leading to better health, only to loss her closest friend.
  • A few struggle with being overwhelmed by life.  Work and family are all-consuming and little time is left for self.
  • And I read several posts crying out over a loss of motivation.  You can be so close to something awesome, only to veer off the track and get lost.
If you recognize any of these people I ask you not mention their names in the comments.  Several people could fit into many of these examples and I would rather not call out someone publicly.  Some are public with their own stories (guilty as charged), or you may have had private conversations and know the details.  If so, send along a few words of encouragement.


The point of all this is to say that while Daily Mile may not be for "the serious athlete", it is a well of serious emotion.  We come for the smiles, the laughter, the tears.  The highs and lows.  The congratulations and the condolences.  Daily Mile is about living your best life possible.


But if you think Daily Mile is not serious enough, you may not understand what Daily Mile is truly about.


PS After reading comments posted to Daily Mile and directly to my blog I am overwhelmed by the passion exhibited by the readers.  Thank you taking time to read and respond.  Use that passion in your workout and no goal will be beyond your reach.  













12 comments:

  1. Tell it like it is! Who ever the knuckle head is who asked you this, they could have just unfriended you if it bothered them so much. Some people take things way to serious and don't get to see the real heart and joy in things. You hit the nail on the head with this one. Perfect.

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  2. this was an awesomely amazing and honest post! Dailymile is a network of awesome endurance athletes who are supposed to build each other up, not tear people down. For me, it is a way to track my progress and my miles and talk about those GREAT runs and those shitty runs. It is each persons training outlet and everyone should realize that.

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  3. Thank you. Well put. Daily Mile is AWESOME!

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  4. Nice post. The person making these remarks fails to see that you can be serious about something without taking yourself too seriously. I've "met" some amazing folks on DailyMile--all real people who have good days and bad but are committed to continuing to move forward. I say we should embrace folks wherever we meet them in their journey! Lori R.

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  5. Well written. I think DM is awesome and miss it every time I am not there.

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  6. I don't think DailyMile is a place for "serious" athletes that fall under the definition of "so professional and dedicated to their job of running that they don't have time to socialize online." However, DailyMile certainly has enough people that are "serious" about running (or biking, etc.) and have situations that are "serious" in how emotionally or physically heavy they are to carry around.

    And I myself see DailyMile as a social network, not a classroom setting where I have to be "serious" about learning how to better myself through running. If it were such a "serious" place, I wouldn't want to be part of it for very long.

    And I know you don't want us to mention names, but I'll tell you I'm one of those people listed there. In fact, a few of those "serious" issues are part of my life. Some I share, some I hint at, and some I keep inside. How's that for being "serious?"

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  7. Serious is not wanting to give up......and running a full marathon with a stress fracture because you refuse to not finish what you started. I don't think I could have done it without my DM friends. They pushed me, checked up on me and consoled me. I think that's serious enough.

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  8. It's so sad to me that someone could take such a positive and supportive networking site and place horrible judgement on it. Probably says a lot more about the person saying it - egotistical nonsense if you ask me. I know I'm a better runner because of DM and I'm so glad to have a forum where we are able to share our trials, tribulations and victories!

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  9. You're right - whoever said that obviously does not know Daily Mile. To me, that's like saying Facebook isn't for serious people - yet there are nearly 400 million subscribers. Daily Mile is the same concept - except for people who like to run, swim, bike, etc. Furthermore- who says an athlete has to be serious? If that is the case, I'd rather be a real person with a true passion, than a serious athlete.

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