We talk a lot about our bodies. We talk about what hurts. We talk about what is not working as it should. We talk about the things we are doing to accommodate injuries or treatment for maladies. We are embodied beings. We relate to our world and all that is in it through our bodies. We know the world around us by what we see, hear, smell, and feel. Our life is dependent on the well-being of our bodies. For these reasons and many others, we tend to be very aware of and concerned for our bodies.

My wife and I are both runners. We regularly talk about how our recent runs have gone. We also talk a lot about how well our bodies are doing. Daily exercise makes you very aware of the ever-changing state of your body. You become aware of new pains and discomforts. You notice when a run goes well and when you struggle to finish. You pay close attention to how different shoes affect your speed, endurance, and recovery. As with any regular physical activity, you develop areas of soreness and related injuries. You tend to track if particular areas of discomfort are improving or growing worse. When runners get together, a large part of our conversations is about our bodies. We discuss injuries and share treatments we have found to be helpful. We discuss training regiments and how these can improve performance. We discuss shoes and other running-related equipment and how they can help performance, address a chronic injury, or provide comfort.