Forums >General Running>Talking about running
sugnim
My MIL has demintia she can't remember anybody's name but she always ask if I ran today.
Sounds like a cool lady with good priorities.
My sister is visiting. She arrived just after I was coming home from my 16 mile long run. We had talked a little about running off and on throughout the day but our in-depth running conversation about running that evening went something like this:
Sister: So, how much do you run?
Me: About 70 miles a week or so.
Sister: Oh, how much do you run everyday?
Me: It varies. I did 16 today but sometimes I run as little as 6.
Sister: So, what do you do? 16,6,6,6,6.
Me: No, it varies. (Reaching for Pfitz Advanced Marathoning, flipping to the 18/85 plan, and handing it to her). I'm following this plan.
Sister: (Reading). Mesocycle?
Me: Yes, the program has different phases where you emphasis different things.
Sister: What's lactate threshold?
Me: It's a workout where you try to train your body to get rid of lactic acid. Runners need to do that efficiently so we tax our bodies by running comfortably hard on some runs.
Sister: So, where are you in this program?
Me: (Pointing to the 16 mile square).
Sister: You were only supposed to run 68 miles this week.
Me: (Seriously?)
Sister: VO2Max?
Me: That's speedwork. Like intervals. You do those closer to the marathon.
Sister: (Flipping through book). He has a lot of plans in here. It looks hard to follow.
Me: He's not even that bad. There's this guy Daniels who wrote a book and it's really complicated. He's really into the science of running. He hooked runners up to machines so he could measure all kinds of stuff.
Sister: There's even a glossary in the back.
Me: Really?!
My sister was great at feigning interest in running. And as a result, if any of you meet her, she should not ask you the annoying "How much do you run everyday?" question because she's been schooled. She may even ask you about your workouts, so you better be ready.
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
S Army Kettle run...
My other hobby is racing stock cars (been doing it for 30+ yrs). There are two guys I see in passing at work .. rarely work with them on projects etc.
Every time I see them I say..."How's it going"? and they reply..."Good" ... "How's the racing ... " and I reply " Going well ...". This time of year I'll throw in "...tough sleddin' with the track under a foot of snow". That's the only thing we say to each other. This has been going on literally for years.
Kinda wish they would ask about running instead ... I gotta come up with something on those guys ....
Tim
levitation specialist
I do. Hey, they talk to me about work or their kids or their hobbies, how are mine any less boring?
i don't expect them to be as into it as I am, nor do I think they expect me to be as into their issues. Talk is talk. Do I need to go into every little detail? Well it depends. How much did they bore me with theirs, because I bet I can win this contest!
Interval Junkie --Nobby
Great, now when I meet here she's going to interrogate me about my VO2Max. I better bone up.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
I used to be a long distance hiker who managed to do several very long hikes over several years. After my first thruhike, on the Appalachian Trail, I soon learned that when people asked, "How was your hike?" They didn't want the long version, just a one sentence answer. It's very hard to sum up a six month hike in one sentence. It was hard to keep from telling them a lot more detail than they were willing to hear. When I discovered online hiking forums and long distance hiking Gatherings, I finally found a place where I could talk to my heart's content about past and future hikes. So when I started running, the first thing I did was look for a forum where I could talk about running. It is good to have people who really understand. My husband doesn't run and he has had to listen to a lot of running talk since I started running. I share things I learn online, talk about every step of my rehab. process, my hopes for the future. I know he'll listen because he loves me, but it's better if I bore him a little less and you folks a little more. For friends and family, they know only that I was running and got injured. Very few remember to ask how I'm doing and whether I've started running again. If I ever get healed enough to start racing again, I'll probably put out something on facebook after a good race, but I know better than to expect anybody in my close circle to ask for any details.
I used to be a long distance hiker who managed to do several very long hikes over several years. After my first thruhike, on the Appalachian Trail, I soon learned that when people asked, "How was your hike?" They didn't want the long version, just a one sentence answer.
Oh, but I want the long version! Very cool. That's something I've wished I could do for a long time, but I've never been able to figure out how.
Here's my conundrum: If I talk to other runners about running I either get glazed-eyed non-interest, or a verbal condescending pat-on-the head because I'm 48 and have only been running for a couple of years. Also, I am only running very short distances so far, like between 2 and 3.25 miles every other day. However, when I talk to non-runners about running, I get glazed-eyed non-interest or that "wow, you're obsessed, I couldn't even walk 3 miles". My significant other seems genuinely interested in my progress and patiently listens when I talk about the highs and lows, so overall I suppose I'm lucky!