Philip’s life revolves around running. He watches television shows about running, practices running in his free time, receives praise for his running, and hopes to join the track team. While Philip is talented, running is also important to him because of the aspirations of his father, a former runner who was forced to give up his dreams of competitive running after he dropped out of college to support his family. For both Malloys, the act of running represents achievement and aspirations.

Philip’s and his father’s obsessions with running extend beyond the literal physical activity, however. Philip understands his interactions with others in terms of the rhythm of a race. When he considers how to handle his exams, he writes in his diary that the “trick is getting past the teacher. It’s like a race. You have to have a strategy—know when to take it easy, know when to turn on the juice. Get teachers to think you’re in control. Have to know when to kick”(7). Running represents Philip’s somewhat immature perspective on relationships and social interactions as competitions—someone wins and someone loses, depending on his ability to manipulate perception.