The best polict ime is to answer politely but move swiftly on to something less dull.
As a sidebar, I've had quite a few painful convos of late with people who have been boasting about their new found running zeal. Mostly with people who don't particularly know that I run. I think I should encourage them to post on here actually.
I don't even talk about my training with runners unless they specifically ask. I don't want to come off as 'bragging' etc. No point someone telling me they have an awesome PR of 3:3x let's say and then I say oh well mine is 2:3x. Just an a-hole move. I'd rather just talk about their running and goals.
Had an hour long conversation about coffee and poop timing with a non runner, just the other day. People don’t understand that running is also a sport except when the summer olympics come around.
2. When someone is bragging about their cycling, crossfitting, or whatever, I might mention my bona fides to let them know I'm not just another 6-hour marathoner... not that there's anything wrong with being a 6-hour marathoner.
That’s exactly how I mention my mildly homophobic masculine bonafides: I’m not gay, not that there’s anything wrong with it.
3. When I'm talking to a medical professional, I tell everyone so they know I'm NOT the typical couch potato and that I want their health care to get me back to excellent and not "average." Even with that admonition, I still get the "well, arthritis is common with age." My response is, "NO! It's not aging. My right knee is the same age and it doesn't hurt." Then, I find another doctor.
Good for you that you have aged well, but those doctors are not idiots: risk != certainty. They know that unilateral osteoarthritis is quite common amongst the old.
I was having lunch with my dad yesterday and we were talking about discussing running with other non-runners. My dad is a die-hard distance runner and even at 73, he still get out there everyday (he calls it his old man shuffle).
He told me he doesn’t like talking about running with those who aren’t runners — not because he is snobby or looks down on those who don’t run, he just doesn’t like to do it. He doesn’t like the fan-fare involved. I was surprised because I feel and act the same way. Whenever I let it slip that I’m a runner, people always say “oh wow, I don’t even drive that far” “I don’t run unless I’m being chased haha” “how far did you run today?” “Once I ran the Disney marathon in 7 hours, blah blah blah”
I just don’t really want to have those conversations. I can talk about running and training all day with old teammates or other people I still run with. Does anyone feel the same way?
You're no saint. You got a free cab, you got a free room, and someone who'll listen to your boring stories. I mean, didn't you notice on the plane when you started talking, eventually I started reading the vomit bag? Didn't that give you some sort of clue, like, hey, maybe this guy's not enjoying it? You know, everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You're a miracle! Your stories have none of that. They're not even amusing *accidentally*! "Honey, I'd like you to meet Del Griffith, he's got some amusing anecodotes for you. Oh, and here's a gun so you can blow your brains out. You'll thank me for it." I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days, I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with Del Griffith. I can take anything." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Whoa." It's like going on a date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn't pull it out and snap it back, you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh! And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea: have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!
I knew of a guy that spent some time at a running store, helping runners pick shoes and listening to a lot of running talk from his customers but he wouldn’t ever mention his own running. He was a 2:08 gentleman
That's not actually that good of a time for the 800m nowadays.
Non-runners don't understand that a 4:06 mile is nowhere near running sub 4. They will say, "You were so close" and I simply don't have the energy to explain to them that 6 seconds is about 40 meters or almost 1/2 the backstretch. General talk is fine I suppose but time and distance specific discussions are a waste of time.
Long ago, when I told my co-worker, a non runner, that my best mile was 4:35, he kept saying that if I just ran more, trained harder, I could aim for 4:00.
I couldn’t convince him that he was being ridiculous….
Long ago, when I told my co-worker, a non runner, that my best mile was 4:35, he kept saying that if I just ran more, trained harder, I could aim for 4:00.
I couldn’t convince him that he was being ridiculous….
My mile pr is about the same, and I had someone once tell me that I was "almost olympic level". I tried to explain to him that there are literally millions of men faster than me at that event and that no, I will never be "olympic level" (I didn't even start the 1500/1600/mile conversation).
Surprisingly, I’ve found I can bore the living hell out of even fellow-runners DURING a group run. With non-runners I will only respond if asked and I make sure to try include something funny about running that they will understand. We all have funny running stories that transcend the sport. A little self-deprecation never hurts, and it shows you have a tiny bit of understanding of how non-runners view runners.
3. When I'm talking to a medical professional, I tell everyone so they know I'm NOT the typical couch potato and that I want their health care to get me back to excellent and not "average." Even with that admonition, I still get the "well, arthritis is common with age." My response is, "NO! It's not aging. My right knee is the same age and it doesn't hurt." Then, I find another doctor.
Good for you that you have aged well, but those doctors are not idiots: risk != certainty. They know that unilateral osteoarthritis is quite common amongst the old.
If they weren't idiots then they would know that the mere fact of unilateral osteoarthritis being common amongst the old doesn't mean that aging should be considered a possible cause of unilateral osteoarthritis.
I knew of a guy that spent some time at a running store, helping runners pick shoes and listening to a lot of running talk from his customers but he wouldn’t ever mention his own running. He was a 2:08 gentleman
That's not actually that good of a time for the 800m nowadays.
It’s funny that you mention 880 in 2:08. The first time I saw this guy was at MIT track. Showed up and reeled off10 x 880 at 2:08. He was a machine. Ran I think 2:08.33 for the marathon.