7/28 13 miles around Gaston MS
7/29 Rest
7/30 13 miles around Gaston MS
7/31 14 miles around Gaston MS
8/1 20 miles around the lake to Baylor
8/2 20 miles around the lake to Baylor
80 mpw
This week overall didn't start so well, but finished strong. Ended up having some stomach issues during the week, and took an extra day off because of it. Then was able recover and do the extra miles on the weekend. Thanks to the cooler relative weather on the weekend a cool 73 F degrees this morning certainly helped on the run. The miles seem to go overall smoother and in general I think my running efficiency is good.
The Culture of Pride
So I've been reading about how genetics and ancestry affects one's daily life and I came upon something psychologist have designated 'the culture of pride.' In layman's term the culture of pride refers to generations of people who herded animals in mountainous regions where agricultural wasn't as feasible due to the geographic terrain. The herders had to develop survival skills in which they had to be taken seriously as it was a real threat for them since they had to protect there cattle in order to survive. Individualism and family protection were critical for survival.
In contrast the culture of agricultural promoted teamwork and bonding. A agricultural society didn't worry about someone coming for there crop as it would be pretty difficulty to harvest a crop without being noticed. These groups of people learned teamwork and the importance of collectivist thinking.
The culture of pride could be seen in the Appalachian mountains since many immigrants from English, Irish, and Scottish backgrounds settled there, and came from herding lineage. The famous Hatfield & McCoy conflict between two families lasted generations and many were killed. But they weren't the only one's Hamilton & Burr, Early & Hasley, Lee & Peacock, Sutton & Taylor, Horrell & Higgins among others. These conflicts were not as common in other geographic regions of the time. Genetics and ancestry had a lot to do with it weather these families realized it.
The "closed door" culture can be seen in the Appalachian region today, as much of the technological advances as well as economic growth were slow to make it into the regions. Things like poverty, low education achievement, and chronic illnesses are visible today, and have historical ties that go back hundreds if not thousands of years.
Closed Door
Even though I haven't thought about it much in the past, I'm realized how much similarities my background relates to the people of the Appalachian region. For one my fathers family until one generation ago were animal herders living in a mountainous region very similar to the Appalachian. Individuality was valued over collectivism, and people in that region are highly prideful. Until a generation ago education was of little value and children would make it to 6th grade before being expected to work full time. One uncle was shot dead in a family feud. The 'closed door' mentality I have seen within my relatives and more importantly within myself. Weather I acknowledge it or not it has affected my thinking as well as my choices. For many years I had a great difficulty making sense of this and as I start to reflect on some of these patterns I'm starting to put the pieces together even if it's bit by bit.
Genetics & Running
I see that genetics is one of the things that is not mentioned frequently when it comes to running. Much like the culture of pride and how it has affected my thinking, in running the same principle applies. I remember that this pride especially when I was younger it impacted my running. In college I admit now I wasn't very coach able and let my pride got in the way of my potential. I clashed head with a coach who was a 6 time Olympian and has a much better resume in running than I will ever have. This not only hurt me as a runner and student, but also the dynamics of the team. Even though I can learn from this experience now, at the moment I certainly wasn't aware of how the thinking and prideful background affected my behavior. Now I can only apologize for not being coach able and being open to growth.
Being Teachable
I'm seeing now how much I can learn from others. I've talked about the importance of your 5 people that you hang out with. What I want to express through this writing is how important it is to being open and not let a closed mentality to prevail. In numerous occasions I have let my pride get in the way of growth and I'm now realizing the impact it has had. I know that I cannot go back in time, but what I can do is learn from it and with this new information do better. It's easier to make an assumption than to understand not only personal background, but genetic past of a person which can often times be complex.
Final thoughts
Overall the week was good and felt like I was able to get the miles even with some stomach problems. I'm still learning and am now understanding how genetics has played into by thoughts which have then affected my behavior. Thanks for reading!
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