Focus on Fast

On 12 October 2019, I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend Notre x Nike's Focus on Fast event, which featured a live conversation with Nike Master Trainer, Joe Holder, Nike+ Run coach, Steve Finley, and Nike footwear developer, Chris Cook.

I've always been a "cynical athlete," if you will. Note, when I say "athlete," I mean someone who exercises regularly, and cynical in the sense that I've never much believed in shoes that make you faster, gummies that your neighborhood influencer says "boost your energy and rid you of bloat!" (you see what I'm getting at here). I've never been quick to buy into the latest and greatest in wellness, as "wellness" has become this sort of buzzword that feels exclusive, rather than something that should be accessible to everyone. Regardless, I attended excitedly, eager to understand what was so special about Nike's ZoomX Vaporfly Next%.

My relationship with exercise has always been directly correlated to my appearance. I've struggled with an eating disorder for most of my life, and so exercise has always been peculiar to me in the sense that I've more often than not exercised with the intent of shrinking, not with the intent of being an athlete. It wasn't until late that I started considering that one might exercise simply to shed the weight of the day, and not that of the body; or maybe to explore the physical potential of one's own physical being. This became even more apparent to me after listening to Joe speak. He posed this idea about health as a design system, which begs the question, "Why can't we design ourselves?"

Well, we can.

For the past week, I've started to ask myself what "designing ourselves" looks like for me. Is it a physical practice? Mental? The fact of the matter is, it's both. For me, it's training my brain to accept the current limitations of my physical body. It's shorter, more conscious workouts, for the sake of learning what my body is capable of. It's learning the way my body produces and recycles energy and how I might learn to use and reuse that energy. It's a shift in perspective about my physical "okayness" and knowing that my limitations as a human being are not permanent, but for now, they are totally ok, because, well, I'm human! And, I'm learning.

Now, let's talk about the shoes. Are they amazing? Yes. Absolutely. They are light, comfortable, and feature a full-length carbon fiber plate in the midsole that helps prevent the loss of energy. They are flexible, stylish, and yes, after slipping into them before our post-conversation two mile run, I felt like an athlete! I realized then what I wished I had realized much earlier on: A great running shoe can only provide these amazing features if the person wearing them has designed themselves in such a way that allows the shoe to do its job. I hadn't designed myself for a run that day, mentally or physically. If I could change anything about that moment, I would have designed my body to be hydrated, well-nourished, and not sleep-deprived. Hindsight is 20/20 though, right?

The event was wonderful, but more importantly, informative. I've been running (slowly and more assuredly) in the shoes since I got them, and while I realize that the changes in design that I am making are certainly not overnight, I am making them, one recycled step at a time.

—MK