People don't get why I want to run faster

+infinity wrote:

Biggest problem I have with women is I start talking about running and they have no clue what I am talking about.

This is probably their biggest problem with you as well!

Do you need to know why you want to run faster?

Maybe some things just don't need an explanation and we are better off not puzzling over them. They are self-evident. They are their own reward. This becomes evident with each step along the way.

Just do it. You'll figure it out in the doing.

At some point in life I just accepted that I couldn't get motivated to run unless I was pointing toward some race or time -- and I need to be running, because when I'm actively training everything in my life is better. I feel better, think more clearly, much more positive outlook, blah, blah, blah. If I'm not working toward improvement, as opposed to just maintaining a level of fitness, I'm likely to lose interest.

The OP needs to read George Sheehan's Personal Best or Running and Being. Sheehan answers this question with a poetic beauty that can only be fully appreciated by runners.

Unfortunately, some of Sheehan's most profound statements are too long to fit nicely into today's meme format.

Paraphrasing since I haven't read Sheehan in years... (My apologies to Mr. Sheehan if I don't remember it as well as he wrote it.)

I've failed in so many areas in my life, but when I'm running I become "the perfect animal." The world recedes and it's just me against the clock, trying to be the best animal I can be in that one moment in time.

This is all true, and like me too. Its an existential battle we will all have with ourselves at some point. Everyday, I have a realization that its all for nothing. I realize that I could be doing things that are a better use of my time. I could be doing different forms of exercise that are probably better and more effective. Its such a stupid hobby when you really list out the pros and cons. There are definitely days when I wish I could just quit and be satisfied with it. But I keep lacing them up, day after day, knowing full well that I'm only getting slower from here on out. The lure of it is too strong. This is my way of life, I like it, and I can still improve, d@mn it!

Its kind of the conundrum of the hobby jogger - you're not really good enough to retire. There's no goal to achieve and then hang em up. There's always a faster time, someone to beat, etc... You would think walking away would be easy when you've achieved nothing to begin with, but its not.

+infinity wrote:

Fdhj wrote:

I used to think that people took an interest in activities I participated in (especially running). While this might be true on occasion, generally speaking, people really don’t care.

If you like improving your running, that’s great - but I wouldn’t expect people to care much.

+1

Biggest problem I have with women is I start talking about running and they have no clue what I am talking about.

You think you’ve got it rough? I’m a neuromicrobiologist. Sure, I can go out with runners and we can run together, but over dinner if I start talking about prions or the effect of intestinal flora on cognition (my area of specialty), I’m met with blank stares. Even worse, if I go out with another neuromicrobiologist, I’m constantly being asked how long that last marathon I ran was.

They don't get it wrote:

I am in my 30's and am a runner and a competitor. Much of my spare time is devoted to training and racing. I am not, by racer standards, fast but I work hard to earn PRs and to place higher in each races I race.I

I place close attention to my running progress and always strive to improve.

The other day, my wife asked why it's so important to me to work to run faster. I am guessing other people wonder this too.

I didn't have a good answer.

Two words: zombie apocalypse. I know, she’ll probably say you’re fast enough to outrun a zombie already and it’s really just a question of endurance. That’s fine for a Zombieland zombie, but what if Zombieland got it wrong and zombies can move at WWZ speed? Those buggers are fast!

I always interpret these questions as friendly conversation and reply to them as such. This is a good time for some of you to ask yourselves questions such as: “Why can’t I articulate the thought processes behind my actions?” and “How can I work harder to educate myself?”

lets be honest wrote:

Truth b told wrote:

We are born to compete.

Why does a man spend so much time trying to get good at hitting a little ball into a small hole in as few strikes as possible?

Why do people endure the physically damaging collisions of tackling and blocking just to carry a ball into a designated rectangular area?

That question can be asked if any sport.

No, the same question does not apply to football and baseball. Players do those sports because it pays millions of dollars.

It applies to golf, it applies to football for many high school kids.

Why don't you simply say: "I run to compete and improve rather than for exercise solely. In order to do so, running faster improves my outcomes."

straightforward answerer of questions wrote:

Why don't you simply say: "I run to compete and improve rather than for exercise solely. In order to do so, running faster improves my outcomes."

Question: Why do you want to run faster?

Your answer: I run to compete and runner faster. Running faster helps me run faster than others.

The simple answer is to beat others, but I think the questions implies why do you want to run faster than others.

Circular reasoning wrote:

straightforward answerer of questions wrote:

Why don't you simply say: "I run to compete and improve rather than for exercise solely. In order to do so, running faster improves my outcomes."

Question: Why do you want to run faster?

Your answer: I run to compete and runner faster. Running faster helps me run faster than others.

The simple answer is to beat others, but I think the questions implies why do you want to run faster than others.

I am not so sure. I think the people who ask the question don't understand the competition aspect. They see a bunch of recreational exercisers out jogging and assume everyone does it for fitness and an active hobby. I think many people don't understand that most serious runners are competing against other runners they will face and competing against themselves (i.e.: PRs).

Well since you are guessing what other people think, have you considered guessing that you wife is jealous of the time you are spending getting faster and asking her about it.

TheNoBeardRunner wrote:

My god, you're the manifestation of the hobby jogger.

You're in your 30s but aren't elite. However, because you jog, you consider yourself a competitor. Like most hobby joggers, you spend your valuable free time focused on something you enjoy but technically aren't good at. Therefore, your PRs and clunky medals are all you have to show for your effort. And you do put in the hours and organize your workouts and research new plans and follow diet restrictions because in the case that you do not PR a race, it crushes you. It reveals the reality of your "career" as a runner: a complete and utter waste of time and resources. Because deep down, you know that running long distance is not the best exercise for long term and overall health.

You're exactly like me.

As Ben Finegold says, "the truth hurts."

*You're exactly like 99% of LR readers. Fixed it for you.

If you enjoy running/racing/improving then isn't that reason enough? I think the core reason that all of us here train to better ourselves through racing is because it's fun and we enjoy doing it.

Even the professionals who are making money do it because they enjoy the sport and competition. I don't think there are any professional runners out there doing it just for money, no matter how much they're making.

runn wrote:

Generally, people lack imagination and drive.

Drive I'll give you, but as for imagination there are quite a lot of other life activities that stimulate it more than running.

Often when people ask about a running & racing habit, it's more about why do you train 2 hrs / day or drive X hours to race in a half marathon, when there are other things you could do with that time - read more books, develop an artistic talent, spend more time with kids, travel the world, volunteer in the community, etc.

I am a regular runner but I think this is a legit question, one we should periodically ask ourselves, lest we run just because it's what we did yesterday and the day before.