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Enjoyable. I ran track and cross-country in high school and college in the early sixties, well in advance of aerobics, then returned to running for the rest of my life. Roger Bannister, first to break the 4-minute mile, was my hero. I ran 3.75 miles in 20 minutes in cross-country once, once ran a 4:45 mile. I was entirely mediocre even back then, and knew it. And man do I remember those racing flats. No cushion at all.
I think excessive competition is a sickness--there are far more effective and less damaging paths to excellence--but I do love to see people do things better than anyone else.
It would be hard not to applaud any exercise on the part of porksters, but since there are more and more porksters, one suspects that something is not working.
I do not attribute the tendency to athletics alone, however. All of America has become stunningly tolerant of mediocrity. It is treated as the same as accomplishment. After all, I did my best!
I am a writer (I found one of my areas of excellence). Instead of going after Oprah for what she did to the marathon, I am more inclined to go after the mediocrity she promotes as worthwhile writing.
