Any Other "Gump Runners" Out There?
I've been running for about 3.5 years, but feel quite out of place in the running community. This is probably because I lack pretty much any goals for my running beside running the most number of pleasurable miles possible.
I'm never training for any race, any PR, not for weight loss, health, or anything else other the "Gump Running" — in other words, in the words of character Forrest Gump before embarking on a 3-year "purposeless" run:
"Then one day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run."
In the film, asked why he was running by the media as he crossed the Mississippi River for a fourth time, he replied how I probably would if someone asked me why I was running while out on a morning run:
"I just felt like running."
Some have felt the need to call this style of running "soul running" or "zen running" — a type of mindful running in which the goal is simply to experience yourself and the space you're running through. Which, I think incorporates Gump running, but names are a bit headier than what I think it is.
To me, there are pretty much three categories of running:
- racing
- training
- Gumpin'
And don't get me wrong — Gumpin' can include heart rate monitors, GPS coordinates, strength training, nutritional guidelines, and recovery plans. But the goal is not, "Run a PR at the next race," but simply, "Run, exercise, eat, and sleep so you can keep running 'for no particular reason.'"
So, any other Gump runners out there or am I the lone weirdo?
I wrote an article about this recently as well: https://kenlane.medium.com/gump-running-enjoying-running-for-no-particular-reason-de977c3ee7d8