Sunday, May 20, 2012

One Track Mind

I really have to laugh about my one track mind. Unlike some, my tunnel vision is not about sex or donuts or meth.

Case in point. I was in Starbucks today when a saw a woman, about my age, wearing sweat pants with the logo Rock ‘n Roll printed above her right thigh. As I poured two cups of half and half into my coffee, I got a bit giddy.

Not the actual pants, but you get the idea.

This woman, who had that “runner” look (gaunt, veins protruding from her arms), had clearly done some Rock ‘n Roll races. My mission was to find out which one(s). Maybe we could even compare notes. Half or full? Were you in Vegas this year? Did you vomit or pass out like the rest of us? Which is your favorite Rock ‘n Roll race? How long have you been running?

We would be fast friends forever bonded as runners. I made my move:

Me: Hey! Which Rock ‘n Roll race did you do?

Woman in Sweat Pants (WISP): Huh…uh…what?

Me: Oh, I saw your pants. Just wondering which race you did.

WISP: I don’t know what you’re talking about. I bought these at Target.

Me: Oh, uh, well there’s a race series called “Rock ‘n Roll.” Marathons and half marathons.

WISP: I don’t run. I just liked the logo on these. My daughter thinks I’m ridiculous for wearing these sweats. I’m going to go home and tell her that I’m actually kind of cool wearing these because it makes me look like a runner.

I left, shaking my head. How do you exist on this earth and not know that Rock ‘n Roll is a race series? That’s like not knowing what a Swiss System tournament is in chess. Uh, wait. Does anyone know that?

This got me to thinking about all the other ways my mind is on one track about running:

  • Whenever I pull of the guide on the TV and I see “marathon” I get all worked up. Until I realize it’s a Beavis and Butthead marathon. As in - marathon = back to back episodes of a TV show. Doh!
  • Sometimes I’ll wake in the night, look at my clock and it will say something like “3:39”. My first thought is not that I am an a-hole for being awake at 3:39, but that 3:39 is four minutes faster than my fastest marathon time of 3:43. There is something wrong with me. Who does that?

image

I may have a problem. Please tell me I am not the only one. I’m going to start going to R.A. meetings soon. My name is Beth and I have a running problem.

Do you have a one track mind when it comes to running? How so?

Okay, off for a bike ride on the Froot Loops of Lyons, CO. See? It is NOT all about running. It’s about coffee and bedhead.

P1120592

SUAR

54 comments:

  1. I am in the same boat with you. Its just your healthy addiction.

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  2. Yep, I totally get you on this issue! Any time I am out and about and see something even remotely close to running related I get giddy! My mind is always on running...more so right now since I am currently on the darned injured list!

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  3. My mind is a two-track mind... divided between photography and running. EVERYTHING is related to one or the other... in my head, at least.

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  4. Your legs look gorgeous ma'am!
    I totally look at the clock and think marathon time. I do it all the time! I'll see 3:40 and think, "that used to be BQ". or 2:58 think, "could I ever reach that?"

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  5. When I am driving and listening to the radio I often think "Wow, I can totally run to that song!" and imagine myself running to the beat. I will then go to jog.fm and find out how many bpm the song is before downloading it to my iPod.

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  6. As always your posts make me laugh ... I have a one track mind ... but my mind does not always translate to the pavement, though I am constantly thinking of running and get upset when I do not train as I have planned, I often let work and travel and basically life get in the way ... but now that you mention it I am going to do the Montreal Rock'n'Roll Half and am thinking about the Savannah one too ... to make it two for the year ... :)

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  7. Its.only.you. I.never.do.this.about.triathlons.ever.

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  8. So glad to hear someone is as obsessed as I am about running. :)

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  9. Hello, my name is Kasey, and I'm a running addict. I've been know to get sidelined when a golfer at work is also a runner, and we end up in a runner bubble talking about half marathons and long runs and I usually plead for advice on my first marathon, and then I realize, I'm at work, there are other people waiting to check in to play golf. Or I"ll go out for drinks with a friend, who thank goodness is also a runner because we inevitably end up talking about running and training for Tough Mudders and such.

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  10. Yep. Totally do this. Glad I'm in good company!

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  11. I totally laughter out lould.

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  12. I want to buy 5 more running skirts just so I don't have to wear the same one every time I run. And because I think running clothes are way sexier than anything I wear to work because running is sexy. Glad you can hop on the bike, too. I'm biking to the grocery store to buy food. It's good weight training. And I have bed head. It really isn't ALL about running ALL the time. Unless, you happen to be running...

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  13. I am always scanning the sides of roadways to see if they are "run-worthy".
    When there is a triathlon near our city, I love seeing all the cars coming into town with their bikes racked on top or the back of their cars - I'm like "yes! My people!!!"
    When I'm running and I see another runner approaching on the opposite side, I can't wait to give that little "runner-nod" to them and they return it...makes me positively giddy!!
    So, you are definitely not the only one!! :-)

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    1. I am also scanning roads and trails to see if they are safe to run! And I check my odometer on trips to see how far I can run on certain trips, or see a sign that says "[insert city name here] XXX miles" and figure how long it would take me to run it!

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  14. I thought it was great a couple of years ago when I got "the nod" from another runner when I was out on the street.

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  15. When we were in Boston, my husband joked that there needed to be a spouse room....kind of like Al-Anon. "Hello, my name is Michael. My wife is a running addict." They can compare stories about spouses sneaking out the door before the crack of dawn....the so called "long run" and the ever popular "running wife". I thought it was a great idea!

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  16. Any time my husband mentions a city he'd like to visit I think about if they have a marathon. Example: he says he wants to visit Austin; I'm all "great, we can go in February--that's when their marathon is!

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  17. (raises hand) Guilty.

    I woke up in the middle of the night last night and my mind starting planning my run today. Where I'm gonna go, how far, should I wear my new Nike shorts I bought yesterday, what I would eat for breakfast. All in the span of the few seconds it took me to get comfortable and fall back asleep.

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  18. I'm sorry... Are there really people out there that DON'T associate everything in life with running. Huh. What do they DO??? Just sounds kind of stupid to me...

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  19. Just got back from a 25 mile bike ride out by Devil's Backbone. Perfect day for a ride!

    Now you're really making me think it would be a GREAT idea to train for a half marathon, even though I can barely finish a 5k. Denver Rock 'n Roll is in September, think I've got enough time?

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    1. Yep, as long as you take it easy and pace yourself!

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  20. Sex, donuts, and meth. I believe that's the alternative triathlon combination being proposed to compete with all the 'warrior' mud/running events. If they go for a quadrathlon and incorporate bacon I don't see how it could fail.

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  21. Hey, at least they weren't those pants that say Juicy or Pink on the butt. Imagine wearing those and running?!

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  22. Im always surprised when people don't understand something running related, like asking me the distance of a half marathon. Do u live under a rock?!?!

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  23. I think that's why there are so many running blogs. Because we could never talk about running that much in real life without having to be the founding member of RA.

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  24. You're not alone. I went with a group of guys on a mountain bike ride after work (first ride of the season for me) and it was in Evergreen (Elk Meadows in case you're wondering). It was gorgeous but the whole time I kept thinking to myself "Man this would be a great trail to run!" LOL!!!

    Also, if you're putting two cups of half and half in your coffee, you need better coffee :-)

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  25. I'm not only obsessed - I'm also anal. If they they're talking on TV about a marathon and running the full 42k, I yell at the TV that they've forgotten about the other .2

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  26. I have a total one track mind. A few days ago I was behind a car with a personalized plate 'PR' and I instantly thought 'personal record'- that is clever! Then my husband pointed out the Puerto Rican flag sticker. Right.

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  27. Yeah, I need RA too. I do think about running.all.the.time. I just finished the Portland Rock'n'Roll half marathon and am already wondering if I can find another half to do before the Seattle Rock'n'Roll next month. It's a sickness, I tell you!I

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  28. I will see a long, winding road or hilly road & and think to myself "am I the only one who wonders how cool this road would be to run on?" I will visit a new city and scope the roads for running safety as I'm driving to the hotel, AND my running shoes/garmin are carry ons when I fly b/c I pity the fool who have to deal with me if the airline lost my stuff!! But I'm not obsessed. Nah... :)

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  29. Nice to know that I am not the only one. I plan my year according to races. And I will not let go of my dream to qualify for Boston. Just last week I dreamt that I would place fourth in a race and then that weekend at a trail run I placed 4th. Freaky

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  30. The other day i flipped on the morning news and saw a headline about a story coming up about a guy and 10k and that's about all i noticed. I couldn't wait for it to come back on, but it turns out 10k just meant 10,000. Not a 10k race! (the clip was interesting tho -- this guy believes if you do anything for 10k hours, you could be pro) He's taking 6 years off to do that with golf. It made me wanna add up how many hours i've been running!

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  31. I wanted to yell "hold your line!" to a man in Costco who was weaving his cart back and forth and I could not pass. LOL!

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  32. My friends are starting to avoid me...they are scared I will change the conversation to running. And I usually do. I've got to stop or I'm gonna be lonely!!!!!

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  33. I'm totally the same way, especially with shoes. (I work in a running store.) I'll be all, "Oh, the Dash Glove! How do you like it? Is it your first zero drop shoe? How did the transition go?" And they'll be like, "umm... you mean the shoes? I just thought they looked cool..."

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  34. Oh I'm terrible! Whenever I hear a song on the radio that's on a running playlist I immediately mentally zap to the place in a race where it came up. I also may or may not look at someone's calves and if it's clear they're a runner I'll ask. Eek. RA for me...

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  35. Yeah I'm definitely getting obsessive - cannot listen to the radio without thinking about whether the song would work on my playlist. I came in on the tail-end of a conversation of a couple of moms at school were having - I thought I heard "RnR" and immediately asked about which race they were planning...turns out it was "R & R" and they were talking about getting away for a vacation! Yeah, support group? Sign me up!

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  36. Yes. Just, yes. I listen to the radio and think, "Could I run to that song?"

    I recently ended up seated next to a much younger runner at a wedding. She has run Boston more than once and she BQ's every year (she's young - 24 I think?). She referred to running as a "cult" and welcomed me to the club. ;)

    On another note, I'm trying to decide on a race for my first half (If I'm being honest, it's called "procrastination"...). I liked the idea of the RocknRoll series but after hearing about Vegas last year I'm skerred to try one! Do you think they have their act together now or will it only get worse?

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    1. I've run the Denver RnR twice now and I'm signed up again this year (Sept 22nd). From what I've read, the Vegas fiasco was unique to the Vegas race. Basically they should have capped it and things just got out of hand. Reading reviews of other RnR locations seems to agree with my theory (i.e. mostly positive reviews at the other locations as well).

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  37. if I am a passenger in a car I spend most of the trip looking for trails out the window... or envisioning biking or running on the road

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  38. My 7 yr old just did his first 1500m event at a track meet yesterday and he ran it in 6:24. My first thought was Holy $hit!! So proud! My next thought was that little kid can beat me in almost any track event....must....do....more....speedwork.

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  39. Yah, of course I know what a Swiss Tourney is in chess 8)

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  40. HAHA! I have a rule because I CONSTANTLY think about running. Only talk to a non-runner for a maximum of 5 minutes about a race and then drop it. It helps me retain non-running friends :)

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  41. I am definitely likely to make running connections where there are none, but the alarm clock??? That one had me laughing out loud. I haven't done that yet, but I also try not to be awake when meth addicts are roaming the streets like zombies looking for donuts.

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  42. * I have plans for races into 2014 (Going Goofy for 40!)

    * I check the weather report multiple times a day to work out how tomorrow's run will be (rain!rain!)

    * My first marathon is November 11; official training starts June 26. I have soothed myself right before bed on multiple occasions by reading my marathon training plan.

    Nope, don't see a problem.

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  43. Love the post - you are not alone!

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  44. LOL. When nuking something in the microwave I will meentally figure out how far I could have run in the time it is going.....2 minutes....0.25 miles. :) My family says I'm crazy.

    On a side note, 7 of us were wearing our Sherry bibs in the recent Fargo 5k, 1/2 marathon and marathon. She may be gone but in our world she is not forgoten.

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  45. Wait....Target is a store and not something you shoot for in a race?

    Hold on.....3:39 is a time of day and not a finisher's time?

    Now you are going to tell me that I should not gauge the 15 minute conversation I just had a mile and a half run at a 7 minute/mile pace right?

    Why would anybody not think this way?

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  46. That reminded me of the time my husband said a friend of his was going to go on a 'passion run'. I thought it was a race I never heard of!

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  47. Another one-track mind runner here. Before I did the New York marathon last year, I had a dream that I lost one of my shoes and had to run the race with only one shoe, kind of hopping around. When I woke up (at 03:59, the time I wanted to finish in!), did I say to myself, well that was a mad dream? No. Instead I thought to myself, better tell the husband to carry a spare pair of shoes on the Subway so I can change if I need to :)

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  48. You are not alone!! I love using the paper cutter at work because it is the 262 series. Get it? When I hear the word ULTRA, I think ultramarathon, and I have the same issue with TV marathons! I get all excited and find out it's a shark week marathon or something equally as lame (sorry, shark lovers).

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