A Little Running Rant

*I'll just preface this by saying that I am having a BAD Meniere's day - and I know one of you totally understands this and I linked it just in case you were curious about this annoying "disease" I always whine about. Disease just doesn't seem like the right word, but I didn't name it. I pretty much can't sit up - not sure how I even managed to walk and drive this morning. So anyway, I'm probably going to be very absent from reading and commenting on blogs today. I have a plan to bring my laptop to Biker Boy's house this weekend - given I'll be able to drive tomorrow night - and then I'll catch up!*

I'm sure they have good intentions, but oh my gosh, I want them to stop! Do you get this, too? When the non-runners suggest every freaking race to you? Like some crappy community 5K that cost $30+ and gives you some cotton t-shirt you'll never wear, and the course is the same one you run for free every weekend? No thanks. I am a fully admitted race snob. I will NOT race local. I will NOT race for a cotton t-shirt (aside from the Disney 5Ks that give me a medal). ... if I lived in a race city, of course I'd race local. Those of you Oregonians that know where I live probably understand my desire to not race in my hometown. I love my town, but we are not a running community.

Or they hear some blurb on the radio and have to run to you to tell you that they heard about a race you should do. And then I always have to politely explain that there is absolutely no way I'm going to do the race they are suggesting to me.

I love it when people "tell" me about the Eugene Marathon, as if they just discovered it and want to tell me because I obviously don't know (forget that I was at it last year, too). FYI non-runner, but I have been registered for the Eugene Half Marathon since September 2010.

And then I get people trying to suggest shoes to me. No. No no no. Just because you saw a picture of a new type of Nike shoe in a People magazine does not mean that it will be a good running shoe for me, so please stop with your suggestions. 

And I don't care about a sale on clothes at a crappy discount store. I KNOW I will buy my skirts from Skirt Sports and Runningskirts.com. I've tried other types - and other types suck. That cute shirt you saw that you think I need for a race? It is a cotton t-shirt. This runner does not run in cotton t-shirts. 

I'll stop my rant after this one last one. This one is a biggie for me right now.... "Why did you sign up for another half? You did that already. Do a marathon. It's not so hard."  ... says the non-runner. Instead of congratulating me on a very hard accomplishment for me, I get told what I did wasn't hard at all and I should just go for a full marathon. When did a marathon get "easy"? Did I miss that memo? And when did running two half marathons suddenly become just a simple task and one I shouldn't bother trying to improve on?  This always turns to my pace then. "It took you HOW LONG? No, you should be running at 8 minute miles, that's what runners do."  Gee, thanks for the encouragement. 

I guess while I'm obviously kinda bitchy about outside feedback when it isn't requested (i.e. about clothing and races), I feel justified in my bitchiness about my skills just not being good enough.

I don't care. I've ranted. I feel better.

I'll just say this. I AM a runner. I might not be the fastest, but I am out there doing it. Sure I've had to walk sometimes during races, I'm still a runner. We are out there. We are trying. We sign up for races. We get up when it is still dark and run miles in races before people even get up to fix their morning coffee. We are fast. We are slow. We are skinny. We are chubby. We have the best shoes they sell. We have the best shoes we can afford for our budgets. We run in skirts. We run in shorts. We run with iPods. We run without music. We have Garmins (love mine!). We run "naked" as Amanda would say. We shuffle. We sprint. We jog. We run. We walk. We do it. No matter the distance, no matter the pace... We ARE runners. 

Isn't this what "real" runners do when they are melting during a summer race?

***Attention fellow runners, I am very open to your suggestions about races. You all understand me. I know this, even if I am being a mega-bitch today. You know my need for bling, a cool course, etc... So if you ever want to suggest one to me, I am all ear because I trust you won't steer me in the direction of a boring fun run that costs $50!***

Okay. I'm done. Forgive the rant. I just HAD to get it out.