I have bookmarked a bunch of running related links and articles in the past few weeks. All of them have a similar theme. They are about “rules” for runners or how to understand runners. I also found an updated list of discounts offered by the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) and was reminded of my go viral moment the FIRST week I had my blog up with this post. There are a bunch of new discounts that I will note below!
I have written about posts by Kristen Armstrong from her Mile Markers blog at Runner’s World which I love. She wrote a very amusing post on her dating life. She realized that she had never dated a runner and how maybe this caused some issues in the men she dated “getting her.”
From “Girl Talk” in the Mile Markers blog on Runner’s World by Kristen Armstrong
“Think about it. Loving a runner means that there is no need to explain certain things. Like sweat being a prerequisite for a shower or why I want to go to bed at a decent hour on Friday night. Or why at certain times during the year I. Can’t. Stop. Eating. Or why I keep a towel in my car at all times. Or why a vacation is even better when it involves a half marathon. Or why I care so much about running with my kids, or my dog. Or why the Turkey Trot is the only way to start Thanksgiving. Or why a sweaty, tangled ponytail is a sign of happiness, not bad hygiene. Or why I’m so close with my girlfriends. Or why I sometimes walk like a limping zombie and go downstairs sideways. Or why donning a Santa Hat and running the Jingle Bell run with the kids and me is the best time ever. Or why mud spattered calves are an aphrodisiac. Or why a black toenail is a sign of passion. Or why a road trip mandates a pair of running shoes at the ready, in case a trail appears out of nowhere and beckons my name. Or why I save paper bibs with numbers. Or why, when I’m mad, sometimes all I need to do is move. Or how you can resolve anything over enough miles together, even if you simply resolve to get a burger and a beer and call a truce.”
She hits it on the head – right? She goes on to suggest that you have to run with someone for them to get you. I am not sure I agree with that, because I think the husband gets my running because he has different passions. What do you think?
Dave Z. sent me a funny post from Fleet Feet St Louis. The full post is “a guide” to common phrases used by runners—and the “true meanings.”
Need some help understanding runners? Here is an excerpt:
“So, what pace are you hoping to run?”
Translation: “Are you competition?”“Oh, you’re from around here? What school did you go to? What year did you graduate?”
Translation: “Are you in my age group?”“Me too!”
Translation: “You’re in my age group and I hate you.”“So, what’s your PR?”
Translation: “I’m comparing myself to you, and suddenly my confidence in my own ability is somehow related to your best time.”“Wow! That is really fast.”
Translation: “I didn’t think you were that fast.”“Wow! That’s awesome.”
Translation: “I thought you were faster.”“I don’t know what happened.”
Translation: “I went out too fast.”“I was on pace for the first twenty miles, but then I hit the wall. Training wasn’t great. I’ve been battling an injury. And I just got over being sick. Guess it all caught up to me.”
Translation: “I went out too fast.”“I get irritable if I don’t run.”
Translation: “If I don’t run, I may or may not become homicidal.”“Yeah, I enjoy running.”
Translation: “Let’s hope I never have to choose between running and my firstborn.”“I’m not training for anything right now.”
Translation: “I’m always training.”“The race went really well. I felt good.”
Translation: “I had the race of my life. Please ask for details. I want to tell you how awesome I am.”“The race didn’t go well. But it happens, you know?”
Translation: “No, you don’t know. You will never, ever be able to comprehend how awful it was. I cried. I puked. I walked. I had diarrhea. My body hates me. The sport hates me. The world hates me. I trained for four months for this? WHY ME? WHY?“….point two. Twenty-six point two.”
Translation: “Seriously. Forget the ‘point two’ one more time, and I’ll be forced to punch you.”
Runners will enjoy the full lost from Amy Marxkors. She is the author of The Lola Papers: Marathons, Misadventures, and How I Became a Serious Runner. Her second book, Powered By Hope: The Teri Griege Story, will be released in 2014. Click here to receive Amy’s weekly article via email.
I loved this article in Runner’s World: A Few Rules to Run By: What you need to know about short shorts, porta-potty lines, and other unspoken principles of the runners’ code by Mark Remy. Here is a tiny excerpt – check out the link above for much more!
Running Rules of Thumb
1. If you see a porta potty with no line, use it. Even if you don’t need to.
2. If you have to ask yourself, Does this driver see me? The answer is no.
3. If you have to ask yourself, Are these shorts too short? The answer is yes.
4. 1 glazed doughnut = 2 miles
5. You rarely regret the runs you do; you almost always regret the runs you skip.
6. Not everyone who looks fast really is, and not everyone who looks slow really is.
7. Nobody has ever watched Chariots of Fire from beginning to end. Not even the people who made it.
8. You can never have too many safety pins on your gym bag.
9. Running any given route in the rain makes you feel 50 percent more hard-core than covering the same route on a sunny day.
10. If you care even a little about being called a jogger versus a runner, you’re a runner.
I like these – especially #5, #6 (I have been on both sides of this one!) and #9. How about you?
As I said, I noticed a bunch of new CARA member discounts recently. Including some Finds’ Faves like Swirlgear, Factor 75, Zema’s Madhouse Foods and more. I updated my post from April 2012 HERE with pics! Ooh and now they are offering monthly “virtual race bags” with discounts and offers from Community Partners. Check out the post or the Community Partners pages on the CARA website for a full list. Not in Chicago? Check your local running groups and associations for discounts!
Those are all of my running ramblings for now. Do you have any to add?? Leave them in the comments, please!