The Levelhead & The Punk
Two Hearts Beating In My Chest
In my Das Z Letters I keep talking about a certain "Levelhead" and the "Punk". Somehow I assume that everyone who reads the Das Z Letter has also read my book "Runhundred". But that's wishful thinking.
Which is why I've decided to write this article so that I can link to it whenever I write about the Levelhead or the Punk. Or – as is usually the case – both.
In "Runhundred", I introduce the two characters in the following way:
My running life — and really, all of my life — is epitomized by two hearts beating in my chest. I often call these two impulses the Levelhead and the Punk.
The Levelhead
A part of me, the Levelhead, loves to thoroughly think things through, play it safe, plan meticulously, take long breaths, relax, and enjoy a predictable process. He lives in a world of numbers and data. The Levelhead is not easily thrown off-track. He is well organized, loves to apply his existing knowledge and, as his name implies, keeps a cool head. The Levelhead is the personification of order.
The Punk
The other part of me, the Punk, loves to enter the void, to feel overwhelmed, and to exist in any place where uncertainty and havoc reign and where he is not the one in control. The Punk is relentlessly curious and typically reacts off-the-cuff. He fails a lot, then tries again with an almost childlike naivety. The Punk embodies chaos. But also pure love and fervor.
Both Characters Running
In my running world, the Levelhead stands for road racing, while the Punk embraces trail and ultrarunning. The Levelhead strives for all things to go as planned, while the Punk seeks the great unknown. The Levelhead runs with his mind. The Punk runs with his heart.
These two characters keep appearing in my Das Z Letters because they so accurately represent how I feel, think or act in a particular situation. Sometimes I switch back and forth between them in a matter of seconds. Both in themselves are me. Both together are also me.
Or, as I describe it in "Runhundred":
Don’t worry — it’s not schizophrenia. There is also no good or bad about these two parts of my personality. Both characters make up who I am.
I hope I got across what I mean when I write about the Punk and the Levelheaded. From now on, you know what I mean.