I’m a runner, anything from a lazy afternoon 5k around the park, a 10k training run, or a 21k half marathon, I love it all. I have my routines for each run and it varies depending on if I’m training for an upcoming event. A prep for anything over 10k usually involves some carbo-loading the night before (pasta, potatoes, or something like that) and heaps of water, a small breakfast of maybe a banana and a muesli bar, then about a 1k walk and light stretch to warm up (got to stay limber!). I also have running playlists on my Ipod, varying based on pace, distance, intervals etc. and have a BPM that is set to my footsteps.

Last night I went for a run after work, just around Jells Park for a couple of laps, it was about 6-7k. But I had lost my headphones so instead of focusing on my music, breathing and footsteps, I just kind of daydreamed. There were a few other runners out doing my loop and that reminded me of Watts’ analogy of joggers to explain synchronized systems.

None of the other joggers were paying attention to me or my pace (coupling strength) and we were by no means running as a pack (or in a synchronized state), our lap times (intrinsic frequencies) would have been different. But I started wondering how this would have been different if it was a race. Would we all be together, waiting for someone to break away or fall behind? Or would we still be spread out? Each runner just trying to maintain his or her best pace.

This was a weird feeling seeing myself acting out a theory from the readings. Maybe I can use my knowledge of complex systems to give myself an edge next time I’m running a race.