5 Lines Runners Are Simply Tired Of Hearing
If you are a runner surrounded by non-runners you might have heard one or two of these on a regular basis. But fret not, because while there will be those who subtly try to discourage you from running or make slight digs at your lovely habit, there’s always a way out or the right response to shut them up. Perhaps it’s because those who don’t run, never understand what it means to be a runner, but we sure are tired of hearing these lines repeated like a broken record.
“Run Forrest, Run!”
Yes, we get it. The Tom Hanks starrer is an iconic movie, but it’s been 22 years since this line was uttered on screen, so it’s not that original any more. And unlike Hanks in the movie, we are not trying to outrun bullies, so it really makes little sense for runners to be told this in the context of an everyday run. Plus as movies on running go, there are plenty of better ones out there.
“Why do you even run? It’s so damn boring!”
If you are still around this person by the time they finish asking this question, we tip our hat to your fortitude and tolerance. Yes, to a non-runner, just simply putting one foot in front of the other might seem excessively mundane, but the real beauty of running is not in the action, but in what it does to your mind. It endows you with that gift of alone-time to introspect, to focus on the problems of life and helps you unearth solutions without you even focusing on the problem. That’s why we run.
“You don’t look like a runner to me”
To that we find ourselves asking in an internal monologue, “What does a runner look like?” We suppose the image of a runner, a tall and lanky person with great wide strides does not lend it to all runners, but the beauty of running is that anyone can run. We were born to run, so the next time you hear that judgmental line, just keep running past the speaker.
“What’s your personal best?”
If you’re a marathoner, this is a perfectly valid question, but many of us don’t need to run a race or a marathon to prove our love for running. Running every day and running consistently is a task by itself, and for newbie runners that’s an accomplishment. The next time you hear this question, just reply with a ‘let me show you’ and disappear from their sights.
“So did you win that marathon?”
This depends on what you define as winning. For many marathoners, the finish line is a victory – a highly personal victory that’s totally unlike a podium finish. The appeal of marathons is not the fact that you could be breasting the tape first, but the fact that you crossed over that finish line at all. That you are competing against your body and making sure you beat it.
We are certain there are many such one-liners that rile you up, or get you angry. It’s bad enough that many who claim to understand runners or running have actually never even tried it before shooting their mouths off. Let us know about the worst of the lot. Tweet some of these gems with #RunForHappiness!
