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Why You Don’t Want To Be Friends With A Runner

Many of the habits we've adopted as runners are a mystery to our non-running friends.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

 

*Courtesy of Daughter of a Runner

Being friends with a runner can be a tongue-in-cheek experience. You’re subject to several crazy mannerisms and behaviors, including outlandish race-spectator expectations and peer pressure to carbo-load along with your runner friend.

When we’re talking to you we expect you to:

  1. Let us constantly complain how much we hate running

  2. Let us convince you to join running because it’s so much fun

  3. Be entertained by the story where they unexpectedly got runner’s trots and had to duck into a bush to go

  4. Sympathize with us when we tell you we “had such a bad training week because I missed 1 of my 9 workouts”

  5. Be okay that we talk about things we did with our “running friends” 80 percent of the time 

At races we expect you to:

  1. Know which races are important to us and be there

  2. Create a plan prior to the race to spectate along multiple spots along the route, by analyzing the route and taking into account our expected pace

  3. Show up with a cowbell and clever posters

On social media we expect you to:

  1. Be impressed by the daily screenshots of Strava we share

  2. Interpret whether the min/km from the Strava screenshot meant we had a good/bad run

  3. Tolerate SnapChat’s of black toenails, blisters, chafing, etc.

When we’re eating we will:

  1. Not take into account that you are trying to eat healthy/diet, and shamelessly carbo load in front of you

Related: We All Know This Is What The Runner Life Really Looks Like