We Band of Brothers

(Kind of stealing from Running with the Buffaloes, and Shakespeare, but stay with me)

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

From Henry V, Act IV, Scene III

I am currently reading Chris Lear's fascinating documentary about the 1998 University of Colorado men's cross country season. It provides a detailed look into the minds of the coaches, athletes, and observer's over the course of that fall that produced a national championship for the team. This famous bit of monologue was just mentioned in the book, and something the team used to fire themselves up throughout the season. It got me thinking, and some of the events of the past few days, as it relates to the accident and it has the wheels in my brain turning.

Have you ever watched the number 4 and 5 runner on a cross country team run side by side in a race willing each other on to keep passing guys so that they can raise the other team's score and lower theirs? They are not going to win the race as an individual, and achieve glory for themselves alone, but everything they are working for will bring glory to their brothers in arms.

Surely you have also heard the stories, of runners slowing their own pace, setting aside their own goals, to help fallen runners in races, or while out on the trails. They are willing to give up their desires to aide another who suddenly needed the aide of someone who cared while on the course.

How many of us have gone out on those initial runs with friends, who are much slower, and just starting their running journey, but simply did not want to start alone? Of course, the pace lacks, and it gets a little testy when our friends are new to the running world, its lingo, its intricacies, and etiquette, but none the less we do it, because we have all been there before.

We runners, all of us, truly are like a band of brothers and sisters. That goes for the age group warrior all the way to the one and done marathoner. Now that we own a new computer, and I have been able to start posting to the Runner's World forums again, my eyes have been opened as to how we as runners share in each others suffering.

After posting in three groups, I have had no less than 40 or so comments over only a couple of days time, encouraging me. People I do not even know are sending condolences, prayers, and good thoughts my way. I have even tweeted Chris Solinsky about my situation, and he, the current American 10k record holder, responded wishing me well. All because we share a passion for this one great act of the human body, running. It has touched me deeply and has created an even deeper love for this great act.

There is even a group that is now forming to run a local half marathon and 5k in March, to benefit me and my family. How amazing is this? It includes numerous members from ours and several local churches, but they are also runners at heart, and more from the community are even interested in joining alongside. It goes beyond my ability to express gratitude or to be able to put into words what this does for myself and my family emotionally.

We all sweat and pound out the same running routines. We suffer through oppressive summers to nail that fall marathon. We freeze all winter to take our stab at something in the spring. We suffer the painful oxygen debt of the summer 5 and 10k's. These and so many other things we share as a group. There are very few foreign concepts between runners, and that helps bond us. May the running community forever share together in its triumphs and defeats. May we all soar to the peaks of glory together, and provide a shoulder to limp on in the pits of misery. May we always be as a band of brothers, willing and able to carry the flame and togetherness of our sport.