Most of us have known a "runner" at sometime or the other. On the whole they seem like normal people. But I've had a sneaking suspicion for a long time that runners are really fanatics. When you realize they are you know you have a problem. How do you deal with a fanatic?
There has to be something wrong with them. They run in the rain. Some of them run in the sleet. They run and they run and they run.
They must be insane.
Ray Charbonneau, in "Chasing the Runners High," tells of his ultra runs. "Ultra" does not mean 10 miles, or 26. It's 50 or a 100. And as if that isn't enough runners seem to attempt to find the worst places to run their crazy races. There is a 100K and a marathon, all for the mentally insane, being held at the South Pole. Runners are wild. Nothing is beyond them.
James Fixx, in "The Complete Book of Running," shares the story of a man named Bob Glover who ran fifty miles in a circle on a quarter mile track. That's 200 rounds of physical and psychological agony.
Here in Oregon, Ray Wold, a marathon runner in his seventies, admits to 103 marathons and more than 35 years of running. "They used to say I was addicted to it," he said.
And elite runners aren't the only ones who can become "addicted." Runners, elite or not, boast of their single mindedness. They talk like they enjoy losing toenails from miles of running, as if hail and hills are their best friends. It might be all right for them to run and run but they like it so much that they talk about it too. Often. And you have to listen.
They have to be crazy.
Suzanne Bonnen, an LBCC student, who used to run three miles three times a week, used the term fanatic for marathon runners. " I don't know how long they'll be able to run 26 miles," she said before talking herself out of the harsh term.
And she used to run!
Margo Herrling, another LBCC student said, "People who are fanatical about running must have really addictive personalities." That sounds about right. They're fanatical addicts. And addicts need help. This next section is for you people who know a runner. I hope some of these tips are helpful for controlling their compulsive behavior.
Do monitor the phone.Runners sometimes have a large network of like-minded friends that should be actively discouraged.
Do watch for race fliers on bulletin boards in junk mail, on the web etc. This is very important.
You could try to hide their running shoes. But keep in mind that they have been known to keep a pair in the car.
You could give them lists of all the potential pains that marathon runners experience. (Tip: if they are already a marathon runner this probaly won't work.)
Runners have been known to be quite skinny and always hungry. If it is necessary to resort to drastic measures, such as when a race date conflicts with your own schedule of free time, then controlling a runner's food supply has been quite effective.
Hide the energy drinks.
If possible make friends with the local sport shop owner. He could be helpful in tracking your friend's movements.
Or if all else fails try what Wold's wife did. Wold said he had no conflicts with her over running "Because she ran at the same time I did."
But that might be considered encouraging their behavior. It might be more helpful to make your friend start the successful AA procedure. The first step is: say, "I admit I am an alcholic."
So I begin. "I, Michaela Wasson, admit I am a run-aholic...."
Runners Anonymous here I come.
At-a-glance
A runner's mind:
The greatest stimulator of my running career was fear. Herb Elliot
You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming. Frank Shorter
I'm never going to run this again. Grete Waitz after the first of nine NYC Marathons.
Jogging is for people who aren't intelligent enough to watch television. Victoria Wood
from: http://www.momentumsports.co.uk/RunningQuotes.asp
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