Oct 31, 2000

Here's my most unusual letter of the past week. Stephanie Haber wanted a comment for a whimsical story she was writing, to appear on a fitness website.

"The subject of this article is spitting," she explained. Then she asked a series of questions, all of which I dodged in favor of a general reply.

Spitting on the run was always second nature to me. This is partly because I grew up on a farm, where we never were prissy about natural bodily functions. Also I'm a male, and we tend to be more gross about such things than females are.

Running definitely increases the flow of fluids. Runners learn early to set aside their inhibitions, spitting openly and blowing their nose with two fingers.

I rarely see a runner carrying a hanky or Kleenex. We just let 'er rip, taking care only to watch where we aim.

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