When I was in high school I was a runner. That might be hard for anyone who knows me and my soft, round, motherly shape now, but it is true. And, I was a pretty decent runner. I ran all three seasons in high school, always long distance. My cross country coach was an older than middle aged Latin teacher who was known for always donning a Greek fisherman's hat and driving a Le Car (remember those?). He wasn't particularly warm or kind but somehow he made us work our hardest. If there is one quote I remember him saying, it was "No one ever died from running." He said it to us almost daily, usually when we were whining about the weather, complaining about the length of the run, or listing the myriad of other, more enjoyable, activities we could be doing instead of running. He'd say "No one ever died from running." And, obediently, we ran.
Recently, I've started running again. It is hard when you are soft and round and most definitely out of shape. It was much easier when I was sixteen. But his voice keeps running through my head, "No one ever died from running."
But here's the thing, back in 1983 we did not have the internet. We could not look things up.
So today before I ran I did a quick Google search - "has anyone ever died from running?" And the results were staggering. It turns out many, many people have died while running. One might argue that it wasn't actually the running that killed these people, but a bad heart, a lack of electrolytes, or in some of the most unluckiest cases, a car or a train. But the fact is, many people have died while running.
My cross country coach sadly died last year (I don't believe he was running at the time), and I probably hadn't spoken with him for over 30 years, but as I started my run today, I had my own personal conversation with him to get a few things off my chest. It went something like this:
Me: You know people do die from running.
Coach: I'm aware
Me: You are lucky we didn't have Google when we ran for you.
Coach: Indeed.
Me: Why did you tell us we couldn't die, when we absolutely could?
Coach: You were 16 and in excellent shape, chances were pretty slim that you would die, and you didn't, did you?
Me: No. I've started running again and now I'm 51.
Coach: And?
Me: I could most definitely die from running now.
Coach: I suppose you could.
Me: I could stop and walk right now.
Coach: You could
(out of the corner of my eye I swear I see his Le Car drive by and I pick up my pace)
Me: Was that you?
Coach: No. I am quite dead. I am not capable of driving a car.
Me: Right. I would feel better if I stopped running.
Coach: You probably would
Me: And it's raining.
Coach: So?
Me: I'm getting wet.
Coach: And?
Me: I really want to stop running. I'm tired and uncomfortable.
Coach: Why don't you stop then?
Me: I could.
(Out of the corner of my eye I think I see a man in a Greek fisherman's cap and I pick up my pace)
Me: Was that you?
Coach: How could it be? I've already explained that I am quite dead.
Me: I could have sworn it was you.
Coach: Are you still running?
Me: Sigh. Yes.
Coach: Are you dead?
Me: Not yet. But that doesn't mean I might not just drop dead 10 seconds from now.
Coach: Why don't we wait and see if that happens.
(I pick up the pace to try to prove that my heart might just explode if I run too fast and that I can indeed die from running)
Coach: It's been more that 10 seconds and you are still quite alive.
Me: Dammit.
Coach: You really don't have much farther to go.
Me: If I die I want my epitaph to read, "Coach lied, you can die from running."
Coach: Okay, but you will have to live long enough to tell that to someone else, because I am already dead and cannot pass that message along.
Me: Double Dammit. I don't want to run any more. Dying seems like the more attractive option right now.
Coach: It's okay you can stop now.
Me: Wait. What? Really? Oh. Very Funny. I'm at the end of my route. (looking at phone). Hey. I just ran my best time since I started running.
Coach: Is that so?
Me: I can't believe I just did that.
Coach?
Coach?
(In the distance I swear I see a Le Car going over a hill driven by a man in a Greek fisherman's cap)
Me: You know you were wrong when you said no one ever died from running. Right? It can happen. But, I didn't die today, did I?
So, I guess I will take my chances again tomorrow.
Thanks Coach.
