Would this irritate you in a race? (Read 530 times)

 

Forgot I posted this topic, hahaha.  Well I saw that I had plenty of replies and the consensus is stop .

 

When I reread my post, I guess the way I wrote it, I come across as a dick.  Just a couple things I want to elaborate on.

 

1.)  The dialogue that I wrote is  examples.  If it's early in the race in a half marathon, I would just be looking for conversation, and if it's not wanted, I back off.

 

2.)  The way I wrote it appears that I'm just throwing out one liners as a pass people like a dick.  That's not really the case.  I'm surging ahead to meet runners then staying with them for X amount of time, until I've settled or feel like the pace is slipping.  When I get to the runner(s), I normally give a short, "Hey" or "Hi" to get a feel if they want to talk.  My chatting is simply me just trying to lighten the mood during the toughest part of the race, to help get my mind of the effort and help get their mind off of the race.  I left out some of the dialogue, because 1.) I don't really remember everything that occurred in the exchange 2.) I don't feel like writing a short story about every encounter.

 

I was never really met with condescending looks, but if I felt that I was not wanted I backed up.  For instance, the encounter with the girl:  She wasn't very responsive, she smiled at me, but then I realized when a biker indicated her position in the race that she was really trying to focus and I didn't want to distract her so I stopped and just tried to work with her until my next surge.

 

3.)  When I do say something on here that when you read may sound like I'm being a dick, like when we were going up the hill, it's said with ALOT of sarcasm, and normally a smile to let the person no that I have no ill intentions.  Anyone who looked at the elevation profile KNEW about this climb coming up, and I was clearly hurting.  It wasn't just me fresh legged passing people left and right up a hill, throwing one-liners about how easy the hill was.

 

4.)  For those of you who said I'm not racing hard enough;  I'm not really "talking", just bits and pieces of sentences.  There was NO talking for me in the last 5K, and the brief conversation with the marathoners at mile 9-10 was painful.  Like I said these are just excerpts from conversations.  I wasn't taunting the full marathoners, and they knew that I was running the half after I said that and laughed.  And there was actually a few good things tossed back and forth besides what I said.

 

Thanks guys for all the responses.

Even with your further explanation, I still would say: irritating.  Other venues are more appropriate for social interaction.

I guess I'm used to football banter, and didn't realize people took themselves so seriously who are finishing 85th in a race.

 

Seriously dude? Lots of people are f*n killing themselves running really hard. And they take themselves seriously.

 

Noted, and I'll think I'll just stop this all together.

This is a good idea.

Sarcasm, during a race and on one way posts on an internet message board, is hard to decipher from more malicious comments.

( That's why smileys can be helpful)

  I didn't realize a lot of runners were so sensitive.  I guess I'm used to football banter, and didn't realize people took themselves so seriously who are finishing 85th in a race.

You're just too cool for us.  We're all secretly jealous of you.  You have these totally not exaggerated stories about having energy to tease people in a race because they are running really hard but are going to finish behind you.  You're a manly man big guy who engages in manly football banter and lets others draft behind manly you.  You're not a loser who finishes 85th and you can't understand how someone could be trying hard and be that slow.  Thank you for agreeing to stop.  Your kindness and humility is exceeded only by your overall superiority.  Not everyone can be you, but we can wish.

meltdowns are for Fridays

I don't mind chatting during a race, but then I'm slow. There are times when other people talking incessantly annoy me a little but even when I'm annoyed about it I'm willing to accept that its my issue and what they're doing is normal. There have been a couple of times when a story has been pretty good and I hate it because they go out of earshot. Wait, slow down - so did he find out that she was cheating on him or not? You can't leave me hanging like this.

One time though, I had someone blow past me and tell me that I had on the wrong shoes. I was fighting PF and had new orthotics, was limping a bit, and proud of myself for toughing it out so no that shit was not helpful.

talking is one thing but trash talking, what the holy fuck

At the time I yelled "hey run your race" and she waved all happy. I think inside her head she had done me this great service and I was shouting encouragement at her in return.

I wasn't.

You could try being a little more serious about your achievement, bro.

Woohoo!

 

Reply #85!

Wouldn't bother me in a race. Talk, crack jokes, whatever. If it's funny, I'll laugh. I don't care. Even if you were passing me as I was blowing up, wouldn't care. Might even try to talk back to you if I could. If I couldn't, then I would probably let you know by saying something like "can't talk", or "I'm toast" and you would get the hint. Now, if I'm puking or in the process of dry-heaving, I won't talk back to you. I've chatted little bits during races before. Also been in races where I'm working as hard as I possibly can or in over my head, and no way I could chat.