Dear Readers,
Do you remember what you were doing on Wednesday, March 25, at 8:41 a.m.? I do. I was emailing Chris Kraft, the deputy editor of RunnersWorld.com. Halfway through my rambling note, I wrote this:
I think it's time to retire Remy's World. (Please pause to click here.)
This wasn't some rash impulse, I explained. It had been brewing for a long time, and was due to a number of factors. I continued:
We can talk about those factors, or about any of this, if you want. I'm always happy to talk. (Might be easier to do over a beer, in Boston.) (Assuming you'll be in Boston?) Or not.
Chris was in Boston, and we did have beers. But we never got around to talking about this stuff. Probably because he and I both figured I didn't mean it – not really. I'm an emotional guy. I've talked about quitting before, lots of times and for lots of reasons.
Turns out, I did mean it. Nearly eight weeks after sending that email, I don't think it's time to retire Remy’s World. I know it's time.
(Again: Click.)
As I've since told Chris, and a few other editors at Runner's World, the reasons are many.
For one thing, RunnersWorld.com has evolved. It now has a robust Newswire section, which does a terrific job of delivering running news – including much of the quirky stuff that historically had been my beat. For another thing, the internet itself has changed. A huge number of people are now seeing my columns via social media or links on their phones – i.e., absent adequate context or cues to tell them that they're now in Remy's World, not Runner's World. Or, like, . Ive never taken that for granted.
Also, the ugly comments – which, I know, come with the territory when you work online, especially as a humorist – have gotten uglier.
The Runners Rule Book.
Speaking of humor: Mine, I'm convinced, has gotten weirder, while that of RW's broader audience has not. I've found myself writing stranger and more subtle stuff for what seems like a smaller slice of similarly weird readers. I'm fine with this, personally, but it seems unsustainable. And it does create headaches, not just for me but for the folks back at Runner's World, who must contend with the readers who don't get something they've seen in my column, who fail to realize it's humor (or meant to be, anyway) and respond with confusion or panic or even anger.
By the way: Stamping the word "HUMOR" on something when you share it via Facebook or Twitter isn't as effective as you'd imagine, in terms of communicating to readers that what follows is meant to be humorous. Live and learn.
What I've come to realize is that all of these reasons lead – eventually, like meandering streams and rivers – to a single, much bigger reason:
I’m tired.
I've been doing this for seven years, eight months, and seven days, folks. Three columns a week for most of that time, though for a stretch I was publishing daily Monday through Friday. That's a total of nearly 1,400 columns. True, some were So Long, and Thanks for All the Laughs. Still.
Let's face it: Everything above the neck is kaput.
On top of all of this, a newly redesigned RunnersWorld.com is coming soon. Seems like a natural time to make for the exit.
I won't be going far. I’ll likely do something new online, and the first Remy’s World magazine column (my name in print!) Im an emotional guy. Ive talked about quitting before, lots of times and for lots of reasons Runner's World. Watch for more of those. I have a new book from Rodale coming out, next spring. (Really.) And meantime, there's always my TV pilot.
Before I officially sign off here, however, it’s time to tie up some loose ends. In case you were wondering…
- Other Hearst Subscriptions Dr. Daily looks like.
- Coney was inspired by a real-life orange cone that I roomed with in college. I went on to become a writer; he got into the field of being an orange cone.
- Disney never acquired the Badwater 135. Boston 2015: The Village People.
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Laughs.
- I deliberately stopped at 98 Motivational Posters – 99, if you count both versions of #96 – just to mess with those of you who will run laps of a parking lot or something just to get your Garmin to a nice, even 5.00 miles, rather than stop at 4.88.
- I've got nothing against owls, really.
- Give A Gift auf den Hüften.
- Rumors that an early Remy’s World reenactment recently fetched $179 million at auction are unfounded. That was a Picasso.
- In a previous life, I was co-founder and editor in chief of a young men's entertainment magazine – really! – which may help explain my constant, annoying pop-culture references. All makes sense now, doesn't it?
- None of these things The List: Friday, May 8.
Running Sure Is Funny.
To each and every one of my loyal readers: Thank you for reading; for your many thoughtful, kind, and funny comments; and, in many cases, your friendship.
To David Willey, John Atwood, and Chris Kraft: The same goes for you, with added thanks for giving me this platform and the dizzying freedom to write more or less whatever the hell I wanted, even when it was weird. Or, like, . I've never taken that for granted.
The List: Friday, April 17 Runner’s World online team, for your camaraderie and your support, both technical and personal, most of it behind the scenes. Without you, Remy’s World simply couldn’t have happened.
What's left to say, really, except this...?
Oh, Coney! Thank you... Published: May 18, 2015 5:54 AM EDT.
So long, everyone, for now. I'll see you around.
With Affection,
Mark
