What's your default answer for "so do you run?"

I usually say something along the lines of "yeah, I am trying to get back into shape and run competitively". Then the question about how many miles per day I run, and I have got it down to "I run about 50 miles on 6 days of running per week, so about 8 miles per day". At this point in the conversation, it seems that people A) are impressed B) Don't believe me C) think that I am strange and that running must take up 90% of my free time. If I go for a run during lunch and cover 7 miles in 50 minutes, people are surprised that I got in 7 miles and I'm not lying down and puking after the run. They also can't understand that I really just got out on the road and ran 7 miles in the time it took them to check their fantasy football team and check facebook.

The question always comes about a marathon. I haven't ran one yet, and this seems to be more of a qualification to be a good runner (outside the running community) than running 5 minute pace for a 5k. Another common event I get asked about is the mile. My mile PR isn't great, but people seem to think that a 4:25 is close enough to 4 minutes and they know that 4 minutes is really fast.

Created this a few years back which is a typical discussion about running with others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEhXOblz1LI

Small Town wrote:

What's your default answer for "so do you run?"

It seems that "yes" would just about cover it. Am I missing something that makes this yes/no question more difficult than it seems?

am I missing something? wrote:

Small Town wrote:

What's your default answer for "so do you run?"

It seems that "yes" would just about cover it. Am I missing something that makes this yes/no question more difficult than it seems?

Yes, it was posted by a LR forum user.

Ted Underhill wrote:

Just the word neat. sounded a bit like a conversation between richie and potsie. obviously fell a little short. Will self discipline and suspend myself until lunch.

Take yourself off suspension. I chuckled. Potsie Webber is a funnier name than Richie Cunningham.

My response to this question? "I'm semi retired and I run enough so I can drink beer and eat ice cream."

am I missing something? wrote:

It seems that "yes" would just about cover it. Am I missing something that makes this yes/no question more difficult than it seems?

Yep, you are missing something. The way the question is delivered ("so do you run?") is obviously an opening conversational gambit. Most of us don't want to go there with people that don't understand running. I've found that "No" cuts off that conversation rather quickly.

I don't run much, but a couple years ago I walked a marathon in under 8 hours.