Running Superstitions

During today’s trail run a topic came up that I found to be interesting, “Running Superstition’s.”  Gregg Holst mentioned that he was wearing his lucky racing shorts.  I turned to him with surprise and told him that I thought that this was peculiar and I further wondered if other runners had so called “lucky” clothing or did whacky rituals before they stepped to the start line of any race.  The other runners in an earshot of the lucky shorts conversation quickly stated that I of all people surely had a racing superstition.  I told them I most definitely do not!  But, the more I thought about it, I came to realize that I did have one for 13 years.  The one I have was with a lucky sock (even if it doesn’t look it), but not a running sock per say. 

               This particular sock could have been worn with running shoes, but I wore it once a year with football cleats.  For 13 years my friends and family played in a Turkey Bowl.  During these 13 years I had never been injured.  Now, I did take my share of bumps and bruises, but never an injury that would send me to the ER before Thanksgiving dinner.  I can’t even remember a Turkey Bowl that ended without someone paying that visit to the hospital.  Chris Mortensen went three or four years in a row!  We always played tackle football because even as we got older we still felt invincible or at least that’s how I felt.  I would tell myself every year before the big game that this year would be the year I would get seriously hurt, so that’s when I would dig to the back of the sock drawer and pull out my “lucky sock.” I’m not sure whatever happened to the other sock of the pair, if I had to guess I would say that the dryer monster got a hold of it.

                As for a running superstition I don’t have one.  I don’t wear any article of clothing that I think is lucky, I don’t do any silly rituals before or after a race besides warm-up, stretch, and cool down and I don’t do those because of superstition.  I do it because I’m old and I will pull something if I don’t.  If you do have a lucky anything that you wear or keep with you on race day or you have this must do practice before a race I would love to hear about it.  As for my lucky sock it will forever rest in the back of my dresser drawer, it kept me safe for 13 years the least I could do is allow the thing to rest with its cotton brethren. 

CT