The Seduction of the Algorithm

There is moment when you realize that you are being lead on and seduced. That moment is when you have given in. This is my story.

The beautiful picture appeared on my news feed. It was not a link that I subscribed to, but on a site an algorithm had decided I was interested in.  I have to say my interest was piqued.  I know that I should not have been interested because I am married with a family, work obligations, and very little spare time. I was also in my upper 50’s at the time so maybe this was my midlife crisis.  I stared at the pictures and she spoke to me.  She was beautiful and exciting. “You are not too old. It is now or never.” She said.  I knew this was not me searching for this excitement but an algorithm preying on me for money.  My saner side was winning at first but the more daring side was interested and kept taking a peek.  It was wearing my logic down.  I did not give into the seduction the first few times but I could not forget it either. Finally, I gave into the seduction and clicked on to join. Maybe the algorithms knew me better than I knew myself. 

Being the good husband that I am, I confessed to my wife “Hun I signed up to do a 50 mile ultra-marathon”. I had never even run a marathon before, so this was a big and daring step for me.  Maybe my wife knew me better than I knew myself because she was not shocked nor surprised. Maybe everyone knows me better than I know myself.

The thing is I knew from that moment, was that I was being targeted.  Targeted not because I am a nice guy, smart, or even wealthy. No. I was targeted because I am a runner.  The algorithm knows that runners are easy prey. Put any new race in front of them with smiling runners and photos of beautiful landscapes, and a t-shirt and they are interested. We are like cats following the red dot of a laser pen.

They are also hard to avoid especially since I also shop online.  Doesn’t matter what news story I am reading whether it is on public education, global warming, impeachment, or a grisly murder; there are my brand of trail shoes happily following me as I scroll through the article.  Telling me that I need a new pair, even though I just bought a pair last month. 

I would like to say that I learned my lesson and have stayed away from unsolicited running ads but I cannot lie.  I do click on the many races that appear but it is almost a flirtatious relationship on my part not one of commitment because while I will tease them with numerous clicks. They are almost always too far a drive for me to commit to.  Though once and a while if the race is close by and fits in my schedule I commit.

One however did not play fair and that was Vacation Races.  Because it not was not just a race but it was numerous races, set in places of natural beauty. This captured my other passion besides running and that is seeing national parks and being outside in areas of immense beauty.  They also had a variety of dates and locales to choose from so my biggest reason for not succumbing, the date, was off the table. Fitting one into my schedule was relatively easy. Then they also included epic short videos with dramatic music.  I saw myself running in these beautiful places. There now was only two obstacles, traveling a long distance to get to the race (and the costs associated with that) and convincing my wife.

Luckily for me, that while my wife has little interest watching me run for hours she does enjoy, like me, traveling, and seeing our country’s beautiful places.  My strategy was set.  We always wanted to go back to the Southwest and see places like Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park and Vacation Races provided me the perfect cover to say that this was about the both of us when in reality it was about the race and me. 

Despite my knowledge that my wife would love to visit Zion and Bryce and that this is something we both wanted I did have pangs of guilt about asking her because the motivation was not about our pleasure but was about my race. It was time for me to admit that running and racing, was my mistress and the algorithms knew that and played on my weakness. 

That realization however, did not stop me from pursuing the Zion Ultra and telling my wife that the race was only one day and the rest of the time, I would be hers. I then picked the 50k over the 100k because it was a shorter race. It would be only one day just about me, instead of the longer race that would go on into the night.  I was proud of myself for being so thoughtful. I could have easily opted for a half marathon and it would be about a two-hour commitment. Yes, I could have, but the views that my race mistress flirted in front of me made me commit more time to her.

The issue though is not just this race.  It is that the algorithms know me and can prey on me. While I am set to do the Zion Ultra this April there are other beautiful races out there almost all of them calling my name. I even joined the Friends of Vacation Races Facebook page. Now I am seeing posts from other runners also seduced by the algorithms.  Yet we are happily seduced. We are very willing victims.

It took me a month or so of cajoling my wife about how great this time alone would be for us and that the race was just one in a series of events that would have on this trip before we committed.  Though she saw right through my charade and laughed at my attempts to make this trip about us. I am like a man coming home with lipstick on my shirt collar.

After this race, I plan on turning over a new leaf. I will no longer succumb to these race ads.  I am a new man. I know that my wife would love to see Yosemite, Yellowstone, California wine country, or even go overseas to Italy or Ireland. I will gladly join her and even help plan the dates we go. It will just be a simple coincidence that there happens to be a race going on at the same time we are there. It is after all only a few hours and the rest of the time I will be hers. I think that I may need help.