Running country is everywhere. Open your door, and you’re in business.
Run in a schoolyard, at the beach, in a vacant lot. – Bill Bowerman
….Or in my case, run in a supermarket. 🙂
Reading about the “weird” things that make runners stand out, I was reminded of a thread in the Pinoy Runners mailing list to which I am a member. We listed down signs that point to us being runners. (Contributed by R. Patrick Concepcion, Resty Refuerzo, bathorigins, 26m.com, Migo Flores, ngyaaaw, Juan Apolinario C. Reyes Jr., and myself.)
So, you know you are a runner when…
1. You have more than three pairs of running shoes and only one dress shoes.
2. You undergo withdrawal symptoms when you can’t run.
3. The first store that you go to in a mall is the running shoe store.
4. You salivate at the latest offerings of adidas, nike, new balance, and other running shoes.
5. You surf various running sites and devour the latest trends in training, nutrition, equipment, etc.
6. Snack means having an energy bar.
7. You shave your hair legs to improve your PR (and you are a guy).
8. Your hand carry bag in the plane contains your running gear. Just in case your suitcase gets lost, you won’t feel so bad.
9. Your wife gets jealous because you love running more than sex.
10. You consider training more important than sex.
11. Petroleum jelly for you is not for lovemaking.
12. You get elated every time you see a road and think that it is the sexiest thing.
13. You check the sole of your running shoes often and caress it with affection.
14. You get excited every time you see someone running.
15. Hearing the soundtrack to “Rocky” gives you goose bumps.
16. You wear a sports watch with your dress clothes.
17. You remember details of a race four years ago, but you forget your wedding anniversary.
18. You are not embarrassed to show someone where your hamstring “really” hurts.
19. You know your resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and exactly what your heart rate at any moment during your run.
20. You wear your running shorts underneath your work clothes so that you can quickly run after work.
21. You won’t drive by any running store without a quick look inside.
22. You know exactly how far a kilometer is.
23. You have more old dirty shoes piled by the door than a farmer.
24. You read each month’s issue of Runner’s World from cover to cover within an hour.
25. You get excited when you hear that there is a new Gatorade flavor.
26. You not only know how you did in a race, but you know exactly how every other runner finished.
27. You spend at least 25 percent of your income on running stuff.
28. The first thing you do when you go on vacation is find out where you can do your daily run.
29. You realize that it’s harder not to run than to run.
30. You can talk about running for hours on end to someone you don’t know and whom you otherwise have nothing in common with.
31. You get excited at the sight of a long stretch of road, imagining yourself running on it.
32. You know the merits of lubing up.
33. You can talk in length about the benefits of eating salt blocks.
34. Your heroes are Alberto Salazar, Frank Shorter, and Bill Rodgers.
And here’s my favorite, from Resty Refuerzo.
You’re running your sweet pace and you hear somebody from behind catching up to you, breathing heavily. Instead of upping your pace, you maintain it. The runner doesn’t pass you but just runs with you still breathing heavy. You slow down until you notice his breathing has eased off. You start conversing, as usual, about running. Where he’s headed, how many k’s he’s running today and maybe he’ll ask the same. You part ways soon without even asking each other’s name. Hey, maybe you’ll run with each other again or not at all, and it’s okay.
How about you? How do you know you are a runner?
You shave your hair legs to improve your PR (and you are a guy). I love this one, as well as the rest. I have shaved my legs last year during the shorts season. All year there I know. lol. But I loved the smoothness and sleekness of it. I dont know if it enhanced my running performance, but it was fun. I plan on doing it again. I currently own 2 pairs of running shoes. asics kayano and gt
hi kenley, there are 34 entries. care to add more?<br /><br />btw, thanks for the heads up re "read more." i temporarily removed the breaks. will tweak it this weekend to see what went wrong.
You know your a runner when you have a running tattoo.<br />Patrick concepcin / runningshield<br />http://runningshield.blogspot.com/
Very Cool! I think I have one for the list. You are a runner when even though you are not running, you are constantly keeping track of time by looking at your digital watch; or you find yourself timing everything.
when you wonder what running shoe you'll save in case of fire instead of how you'll save the rest of your family.<br /><br />there's more here:http://takbo.ph/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=26&func=view&id=1242&catid=18
@kenley: i can totally relate with the timing thing. whenever i need to walk somewhere, i'd time it and calculate how long it would take me to run :)<br /><br />@jazzrunner: thanks, will check it out!
@patrick: that was a nice tattoo you had on your arm!<br /><br />additional entries from Resty Refuerzo and D.Thornz:<br /><br />38. You own an electric glue gun to prolong the life of your running shoes. :)<br /><br />39. You're still posting or reading the posts in your runners mailing list 2-5 years later. <br /><br />40. You wear a sports wristband under your suit and if it is colored
you start doing timed intervals in the track oval, whether it be 400's, 800's, 1600's etc.
from resty refuerzo:<br /><br />…you braved the heat and traffic to watch the MILO 2010 national<br />athletics open. [:)]
When you read the "miles to" signs on the highway and say "I could run that:)"
@ tlwaters: i can totally relate with that! whenever somebody mentions a distance, i always think of it as something i can or can't run ^_^
hi, new to the site, thanks.