I've done it under pretty douscheful circumstances. I noticed that the winner of the local corporate run only gets their photo on the front page of the major newspaper if they raise up their arms. I wanted the coverage (for several reasons) so I did it. My reasons were: 1) Local running shoe store sponsorship - free shoes and gear 2) to show my family. In no particular order.
After you have walk-jogged 26.2 miles and reached your goal of a sub-6 hr marathon, your bottles of Gu are almost depleted, your compression socks and sleeves are all rumpled from exertion, you just blasted past that fat old lady with 100 meters to go (IN YOUR FACE OLD BAT!!!!!!!!!!), and you're overjoyed that you will now have a marathon medal to wear to the office for the next month and show all those fat lazy losers!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course this is before the shattering disappointment of discovering that all of the good snacks have been eaten when you paid the same entry fee as everyone else!!!!!!!! Heads will roll!!!!!
OMIGOSH -- that is awesome use of the word, but according to the Urban Dictionary, the correct spelling is "doucheful". In any case, I think raising your arms in your event was justified ;-) Free shoes rock.
Ovett was the master of the lookaround and wave. Does that mean that Ovett was douchy?
who was the runner?
i used to run pretty fast wrote:
Old Fat Dude wrote:It's never classy. Respect your opponents, exercise some humility and -- for godsakes -- act like you've been there before.
What if you haven't been there before?
The key word was ACT.
My favorite:
http://www.dyestat.com/3state/IL/4out/pix-boys/78prospect-garde687.jpg
Anchor leg of a highly contested 4x800 meter Illinois State Championship race in 2003.
Silver Fox wrote:
My favorite:
http://www.dyestat.com/3state/IL/4out/pix-boys/78prospect-garde687.jpgAnchor leg of a highly contested 4x800 meter Illinois State Championship race in 2004.
Fixed
i used to run pretty fast wrote:
Old Fat Dude wrote:It's never classy. Respect your opponents, exercise some humility and -- for godsakes -- act like you've been there before.
What if you haven't been there before?
Like the guy said - ACT like you've been there before. I still love watching hilites of Earl Campbell scoring TDs. He'd just drop the ball or hand it to the ref and walk off. Never spiked it or jumped up in the stands or raised his arms.
Great call Silver Fox - his legs must have had some POP that day.
"When is it classy to raise your arms up in celebration at the finish line, and when not?"
Repeat after me:
It is classy to raise your arms in celebration at the finish line IF AND ONLY IF ALL of the following are true:
1) You won the race (celebrating 2nd place? Are you kidding me?)
2) You won by a lot (otherwise you are rubbing it in as your opponent is finishing - he is close and you are saying "not really". Could be satisfying but definitely not classy)
3) You did something extraordinary for you (It doesn't have to be a world record. But it has to be well above and beyond what one could have reasonably expected going into the race)
Now memorize these and don't ask again.
Thanks.
I remember a guy from my team came from behind to win the 4x800 at the Drake Relays, he put his hands up really quick in a religious manner but was also quick to congratulate the rest of the field.
Afterward the girls coach said that it was embarrasing.....which I never understood. I thought it was definitely warranted.
When your joy can't be contained!
If you have to think about it don't do it.
I'd recommend the following criteria...
If you win overall, and I don't care if your state only has gimps and epileptics in track or XC, you get to raise your arms.
if you just got lapped in the 800 then you can still raise your arms, but only AFTER you finish, and then it's just to catch your breath
If you just set a massive PR, and by massive I mean you'd stick your business card in it if it was floating in a toilet, you get to raise your arms
unless you're a gal from Yugoslavia and you haven't shaved your armpits since 3rd grade. Then you can never raise your arms.
If you've just beaten the asswipe that's tormented you all season, then you can raise your arms. Bonus points for squirting perspiration on the asswipe when you do it.
unless the asswipe's mom was just killed by a train while crossing the railroad tracks the in the rain. You don't want to end up in a country and western song son.
notice how estevez raises his arms after finishing third in this race. Totally classy. Hundreds of examples like this.
sorry it was rui silva.
Here's another one:
http://www.letsrun.com/photos/2009/waf09day2/imagepages/image22.php
bob d. wrote:
when you are absolutely beyond yourself and you win the race.
the Rocket. wrote:
When your joy can't be contained!
If you have to think about it don't do it.
This. It doesn't matter what place you get, if the culmination of years of work turns out better than you could have hoped for, and you are so full of joy your arms do whatever they want to, then raising your arms is MUCH more classy than acting like you are the S#@t and you expected to be there. It shows more respect for the accomplishment you sought after and more respect for those who achieved it before and after you. It is also more fun to watch.
Case in point: I don't think anyone who has ever met the guy would consider the 2nd place finisher (who is rasing his arms here) anything less than classy.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.oregonlive.com/trackandfield_impact/2009/06/large_800menin08062809.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2009/06/eugenes_magic_moment_the_800me.html&usg=__gmbKdcj0sj_LFlkeJC4vZ1LLrmw=&h=322&w=453&sz=47&hl=en&start=0&sig2=foEMYBVJ2-oqeJ8JfEGM_A&zoom=0&tbnid=0xeXNOczo58BjM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=127&ei=a46uTPLEFYfPnAe04fXcBQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3D2008%2Bolympic%2Btrials%2B800%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1090%26bih%3D594%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=384&vpy=141&dur=1076&hovh=90&hovw=127&tx=107&ty=17&oei=a46uTPLEFYfPnAe04fXcBQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0What this sport needs is a really fast redneck who throws the finger as he wins then goes on national TV after setting the US mile record where he preens his mullet and says 'yeah, I'm all that'.
the Rocket. wrote:
When your joy can't be contained!
If you have to think about it don't do it.
