Do you ever get tired of those that make excuses as to why they cannot run? I should not care, but I have a friend and now that it is winter she claims she cannot run. There are so many options to not have an excuse. Oh well. I once saw a saying somewhere, where if you aren't out there running, someone else is.
Running is my mental-Ctrl-Alt-Del.
Hip Redux
Not just for running... I hate lame excuses for other stuff too. It tends to be the same people who do it all the time. Lots of self-pity and very little change to doing anything about it. I try to just tune them out!
This is a friend of mine that just started running. How do I politely tell her that winter is not an excuse. I've told her a gazillion times to get a TM or join a gym. Maybe I should just mind my business because she knows that she is just making excuses right?
Is there a race in the spring that she wants to target? Sometimes having a goal helps, and if it's in March or April, you could explain that she should be training now to be sure she's ready for it.
Doesn't bother me really unless it affects me directly. As in, if I had set up a run with that
person and they flaked. Making excuses to not run or exercise is easy, getting out there
is the hard part.
Their life, their business.I find that because I have been running for so long as well as cycling and now swimming
and people see me running outdoors all winter (and the fact that I am almost 52 and doing
all of this) the people who know this are not likely to talk to me about their excuses.
And by excuses I am not speaking of those who have disease or disabilities that keep then from being physically active.
Skirt Runner
Those who are determined find a way. Those who aren't find an excuse. People will find excuses for things they don't really want to do.....and the motivation to go from finding excuses to finding ways needs to come from them. I had been wanting to start running for a long time and even tried a few times and never had th determination to make it work. Til one day I did. I have an aunt who is morbidly obese. She had every excuse in the book til one day she ran out of them. She got help....nutrition planning, personal training, psychological help for depression and food addiction....only she could make that change. It has to come from inside the person. Til then they will find excuses.
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to
I say - if they don't want to run - there are plenty of other things they can do to stay in shape. Running is not superior to other things (other than crossfit haha - just kidding)
if they don't want to run - that's fine with me.
Super B****
Yep.
Mostly it just irks me when people who don't get injured every time they think of turning around, don't even appreciate it. If you're not going to use that -- I'll take it.
I also hate it when people run and whine about hating it. If you hate it so much... nobody's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to do it.
chasing the impossible
because i never shut up ... i blog
delicate flower
Those who are determined find a way. Those who aren't find an excuse.
This.
I always figure out a way to get my miles in.
<3
Team TJ
Yep. ......
......
Thanks for posting this!
I'm not guilty of offering excuses (I don't think), but have in fact been guilty of not trying as hard as I could.
Running for TJ because he can't.
Thanks for posting this! I'm not guilty of offering excuses (I don't think), but have in fact been guilty of not trying as hard as I could.
Honestly, I don't mind when people say "I just don't feel like it" or "I don't want to" as opposed to saying "I can't do this because something else is preventing me from doing it." The first is putting the reason on yourself and the latter is placing blame elsewhere, like there's nothing they can control about the situation - which is almost never the case.
I will freely admit when I'm being lazy. lol
Honestly, I don't mind when people say "I just don't feel like it" or "I don't want to" as opposed to saying "I can't do this because something else is preventing me from doing it." The first is putting the reason on yourself and the latter is placing blame elsewhere, like there's nothing they can control about the situation - which is almost never the case. I will freely admit when I'm being lazy. lol
This has been my "excuse" far too often lately.
I am flawed to the max myself, so I try not to judge people who fail in their commitments, but I don't always succeed at the not judging thing. People who fail in their commitment to exercising do not bother me much. But there are others who bother me a bit more, like those who claim they want to lose weight, but stuff themselves with donuts. OTOH, my SIL is obese, she carries about 70 lbs extra on her. But she's not trying to lose weight. She is smart, she has a good job, a great farm with horses and her husband loves her the way she looks. She is happy. When she tells me that she's been trying to run a bit, but is totally unable to, I don't say anything. It's not my place to tell her that she needs to lose a bit of weight first. Plus, I think she's smart enough that she knows it herself already. If she were truly unhappy and asked for advice, I would say something. But I don't think it's the case, so I keep my mouth shut. In exchange, she's never made a comment about the fact that at my age, I am still unable to cook one of those damn turkeys for Christmas.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
I have had a lot of people I care about have their lives self-destruct and keep making excuses.
For example, my aunt and uncle (not the one who recently made big lifestyle changes, another aunt) are in financial crisis. They could have done a LOT of things to help themselves at a LOT of different points over the last 5-10 years but all they have found are excuses instead. They were in bankruptcy but aunt "couldn't" get a job to help them out. She's a great hairdresser, or was back in the day, but hasn't worked as one in years because she chose to help my uncle with making appointments and doing the books for his plumbing business. When his business wasn't doing well and their personal finances were in trouble she never tried to get a hairdressing job. Why? Because she was too overweight to be on her feet all day comfortably. But she couldn't lose weight cuz she had back problems. And she had back problems cuz she was overweight. Even though their house was being foreclosed on they continue used to have a boat, jet skis, buy new motor cycles, and a new car. And take a few vacations. Now they lost their house. Do I feel bad for them? Sure. But I feel worse for my 15 and 17 year old cousins. Because my aunt and uncle's ability to find a million excuses for everything directly affects them and it is sad.
Mmmmm...beer
I won't say that it bothers me, but one way or the other, people just need to own their decision. I don't care if someone doesn't want to work out, but I don't want to continually hear their excuses either.
Winter is not an excuse at all, imo, I don't understand people that take winters off and then complain about how hard it is to start back up in the spring.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!