Do you ever wish you could tell the guy next to you to MOVE OVER! Or to stop calling you “babe”? Well, now’s your chance. I’ve listed the top 10 things I’ve heard runners complain about in running groups. What would you say?
1. Brush your teeth. Yes, it’s 5:00 in the morning and you just rolled out of bed, but once you start huffing and puffing, your buddies get a big whiff of your morning breath, and it’s not pleasant. And no, a stick of gum doesn’t cut it. (And if you choke, someone has to give you the Heimlich with your stinky breath 🙁 )
2. Don’t run with a headlamp unless everyone in the group is wearing one, or you are on a trail run. You know what it is like to walk outside when it’s dark? It takes you a few minutes to let your eyes adjust to the darkness so that you can see. When you are running with a headlamp, and no one else is, you are creating that problem for the people around you again and again and again. If everyone else manages to run in the dark, so can you. Or run alone.
3. If you must spit, or blow snot rockets, move to the side. Just spitting on the ground in front of you does not keep it from spraying on the people around you. And if it’s snot, it’s exponentially grosser – blech! Step aside to take care of business.
4. Same goes for passing gas. If you must toot, pull back from the group. Some people really don’t want to hear it. Or smell it.
5. Don’t always feel like you have to “win” every run. Aside from the well-known benefits of running slowly sometimes, you will also have a much better group experience if you don’t turn every run into a competition. It’s fun to run with the slow seals once in awhile, and you might actually enjoy the runs more. And your fellow runners will enjoy you more.
6. Don’t be crude ALL the time. Yes, running groups are pretty relaxed and there is a lot of latitude given for off-color humor. But come on, give it a rest sometimes. Six “big boob” jokes every run get really old.
7. Don’t use the running group like a bar. Yes, sometimes people meet the love of their life in a running group. But, it’s usually because they become friends first. If you hit on every pretty girl (or hunky guy) in the group, people will quickly learn to steer clear of you and you will find yourself running alone. Believe it or not, most people in the group are there to run.
8. Don’t take off your shirt unless it is over 100 degrees – and you have the abs of Michael Phelps. Enough said.
9. Offer to be the person who stays with the new runner every now and then. Even if you are one of the faster runners in the group, everyone appreciates it when the responsibility for new runners is shared. Don’t feel like you are “above” it.
10. Give people some space. Be aware of where you are running in relation to the people around you, and don’t crowd other runners. Don’t be that guy (or gal) who is always pushing the person next to him off the road just to make sure you are close enough to talk. Remember: personal bubble.
Mom, ultrarunner, four-time US 24 Hour National Team member, adventure athlete, food writer. Graduate of the Pro Cooking Program at the New School of Cooking, Los Angeles. Will run for food.
{ 4 comments }
And that is why I prefer to run alone – to not deal with half of those things and not to impose the other half on people:)
Totally agree, Olga! I have to admit I’ve been guilty of a few of them myself 🙂
Oh geez. Could not agree more. Especially the snot rockets. Eeeew!
I know – have had one hit me in the leg! Ick!
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