Just like no one is perfect (not even Kate Middleton – hello barfing Dutchess!), no activity is perfect either. This includes running. But, I certainly don’t want to stop running just because there are some unpleasant side effects (just like I don’t want to stop eating just because it makes me poop). Viola the list:
1. Chafing. Then bleeding and screaming in the shower.Yes, I know that’s what Body Glide is for.
No, this is not the kind of chafing I’m talking about
2. Trots, Sharts and Farts. Your insides get jostled causing all kinds of unexpected and embarrassing noises and smells. I have talked about this ad nauseum on this blog so I won’t go into anymore detail about crapping oneself or uncontrollable farting while running. It’s just part of it for some (most) of us.
3. Breathing. It’s hard to do.
4. Not cheap. Running’s supposed to be cheap (and basic and simple!), but it’s not. This is probably user error. I could find a way to run more cheaply. I could skip races, I could refuse to buy gels, chomps and GUs, I could forgo massages and gym memberships. Hell, I could just run naked and shoeless down the street and call it a day. But, I don’t, so for me it will remain pricey.
5. Always More To Do. There is always one more PR to strive for, one more race distance to do. This is also the beauty of running. There is always more to learn, do and strive for.
6. The “Other” Crap. There’s all this other stuff you have to do to become a stronger runner. Core work, strength training, cross training, stretching, ice baths, supplements, magic potions.
Me doing my first ice bath ever. Good times.
7. Dogs chase you.
8. Cold then Hot. You’re cold when you start and wear too much then get hot.
9. Overload. There is too much confusing information and research about the best running form, shoes, training plans, etc. (take this article that just came out for example). That’s why I am on a mission to find what works for me and stick to it.
10. Camel Toe.
Despite it all, I won’t and can’t stop
Anything that annoys you about running or do you love every stinking thing?
SUAR
Love all of it! The same is true for cycling, which is 90% of my passion. And then we get to complain about saddle soreness after a long ride! Greaaaaaaat.
ReplyDeleteSarah
www.thinfluenced.com
#5 and #9 are way up there for me. The most annoying side effect of my running is my addiction to buying new running shirts, especially at Expo's. It sure makes it more expensive lol. I just love all the great motivational and sassy sayings on them ;-)
ReplyDeleteI, too, am all about the swag! LOL! I love a sassy shirt! :)
Delete10. Camel Toe ... I have fought this one. Put on tights then looked in mirror - crap!
ReplyDelete#4, #8, and #9 for sure! I'm scared of ice baths...haven't tried one yet? I'm running my first half in 5 weeks...do you save the ice baths for full marathons or do you use them after a half, too? I've been told of the dangers of getting into a hot bath no matter how sore I am! :)
ReplyDeleteI would skip it for the half. No need to torture yourself.
DeleteYeah, I just found and watched the video of you from your 18 miler ice bath. I'm think I'll wait until summer to try that.... :)
DeleteIce baths are the bomb!! Yeah, they SUCK while your doing it but the recovery bump is totally worth it. And let the record show that I hate to ice. I don't even like ice in my drinks.
DeleteIn training for my first marathon, and after my longest run to date (ever in my life! 17 miles), I put my big girl pants on and did an ice bath. Sooo glad I did. Really tough to sink down into, but the results were totally worth it!!! Doing 18-20 miles this Saturday and the hubs will be picking up ice for me on his way home from working the aid station.
DeleteI've never iced either...so scared...but don't really need to yet either. Haven't gotten to THOSE miles yet. But when I do ... I think I'll just walk into the ocean and stand there. Will that work? The idea is sitting in a tub of ice just seems IMPOSSIBLE!
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DeleteI'm training for my first marathon in April and have a nice 15 miler this Sunday. At what distance are ice baths probably a good idea? And what exactly do they do? Is it to mitigate muscle soreness? Thanks for helping an intimidated and confused newbie.
DeleteRunning skirts! They are just too cute! I want to buy one every time they send me a "sale" e-mail.
ReplyDeleteOh, and horns. It's annoying when people blow their horn at you while you run. Do they know me? Nope. Just want to see if I will be startled. And yes, I will be.
Those Ice baths are killers.......I DISLIKE. I looked just like you I'm sure. And yep......Love Athleta. Too much so. Running can get expensive and teaching yoga too doesn't help. I not only need cute running clothes but than there's yoga. I gotta look good for my students.
ReplyDeleteDef. #2 for me. I'm always having some kind of gastro melt down, no matter what I do. I also tend to cramp up easily and that's pretty friggin annoying too. I'm doing yoga and strength training to try to combat that.
ReplyDeleteI cannot say that single thing on your list has happened to me and I've run quite a bit. I am odd?
ReplyDeleteYes
Delete#2 has never happened to you?? And to think I used to take comfort in what I considered a fact-that everyones gotten Runner's Revenge at least once so my digestive system wasn't the only one that has poor timing.
DeleteI don't necessarily love running. But I love how running makes me feel. It's so hard getting out the door, but as the saying goes - I never regret it once I do. #4 is also a big deal for me. I have to have cute clothes for when I'm sweaty and ugly! :)
ReplyDeleteI also feel like I spend much more money than I should/need to on running, but running brings me so much joy that I feel like it's somewhat justified. Also, I totally agree GI problems during races are the WORST, especially when there's a huge line for the port-a-potties.
ReplyDeleteRemoving a compression bra after a really long run. Once after a half marathon I begged my husband to just cut it off of me.
ReplyDeleteHahaha I have done this
DeleteYep x 10. I hear ya on each of them. But then...there are all the rewards. I could list 10 right here (with different food options making up at least 8 of them). Can we please do a 50 things I LOVE about running post?
ReplyDeleteum, SUAR's whole blog is basically an ode to her LOVE for running. of course there are more positives about running than negatives or we wouldnt be doing it. the whole point of this post was 10 annoying things about running. loved it.
DeleteShin splints! Hate them!
ReplyDeleteOne of the most annoying things about being a runner for me is having to hide the fact that I'm a runner from certain other people, or else try to explain it to ignorant ears. You know the ones... the people who cock their heads sideways, looking at you curiously while they shovel Cheetos into their mouths and asking (with their mouths full), "So, you just... run? And no one is chasing you?" Then there's the ever annoying joke, "I don't ever run unless someone is trying to kill me! Hahahaha!"
ReplyDeleteGroan...
1 I just cant get rid of any of my running gear. Except for the gloves i have dropped on godforsaken trails.
ReplyDelete2. The first 5 minutes of any run when i'm all wobbly like a newborn calf with papery lungs.
3. Group runs where I'm the slowest - i hate the feeling of trying to keep up AND that I'm making the group wait for me so that i dont get lost.
4. Deciding what to wear in the 40 to 50F temp range.
5. Calf cramps and frozen hams.
6. Fogged up glasses.
7. Dry mouthedness.
8. Race logistics - somebody PLEASE drop me off at the start line AND pick me up at the finish line. I'll do the rest.
9. Hills
10. Running in the dark and seeing eyes reflect back the light from my headlamp.
Hear hear! It's amazing how much I hate the first 5 minutes of running. No wonder so many people never get past that!
DeleteSUAR - those are all great! But Anonymous at 8.51pm above makes some great points too! :)
ReplyDeleteAll of the above except breathing has become a lot easier when talking with someone as I run. My first half marathon I could not believe runners were actually having a conversation while running. Goal last year was becoming a marathon maniac and ran a 50k. Now I want to do a 12 hr race and a triathlon.
ReplyDeleteI love Cameltoes...
ReplyDeleteI hate those runs when the body won't work, the feet are sore and the knees acke the achillies throbs, and you hobble as you set off...
I can't believe no one else said laundry! I feel like I'm always struggling to keep up with my running laundry. (Time to buy some new sports bras...)
ReplyDeleteYES! Between running and the gym, there is pretty much a constant loop or laundry being done at my house. It’s insane.
DeleteYES! Duh! There was one week when I was sick and did not work out at all. There was practically no laundry to do.
DeleteYes! Can't count the times I've pulled a pair of still-damp running tights or capris off a hook in my laundry closet because they haven't had time to dry. Clammy tights - ugghhhhh,
DeleteI do agree that race logistics are annoying. It's fabulous to have a mile or two walk back to your car after a marathon. My number one thing is when people ask how far I run everyday??? It gets really old trying to explain to them a training or non-training schedule. They don't understand the difference between race distances, types of run etc. I love when my clients tell me their cousin Gertrude just ran a 5K marathon!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about those first 2 miles?? Aren't they a be-yotch? I wish I could skip them. I also hate when you really have to go and you are nowhere near a bathroom....hence, I agree with #2.
ReplyDelete#9....I am a new runner (about a year) and my brain hurts from all the different information out there!! I was a heel striker, tried mid-foot/ball of foot (got shin cramps when I ran) and now I just run! Voila~ no more cramping!! If I don't focus on it, I have no problems.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think I have spent a small fortune on clothes. I have to sneak them in the house so my husband doesn't notice!! I am currently loving TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Ross for running clothes.
Thankfully I have not had any GI issues....YET!!!!
Something runners every where can identify with your humorous list.
ReplyDeletehmmm I feel like I don't have as many bodily issues as you...or maybe I block them out. Maybe i'll start tracking that along with mileage...today I ran x and farted 3times
ReplyDeleteI hate the constant opposite information I get on running in general. I read so much and everything is disputed. It's annoying.
ReplyDeleteI'm also annoyed with people that don't move to the right when they are running slower/walking or just move out of the way in general. And people that talk on the phone when they run. They make me feel bad.
I read that article, and now I am just as confused as I was before I read the article. It's interesting, maybe it means I was never meant to run. Maybe I should just accept the fact that I am built for comfort, not for speed...
ReplyDeleteOn a better note, I too recently commented on how expensive it is to be a modern runner. I guess if I were content with peanut butter and a banana instead of gels and blocks, it would be a lot cheaper, but alas, I like the convenience of the pre-packaged food, and I probably wouldn't be able to get the decent times I have had since I found the great stuff available, because I can't or won't carry a ziploc bag of peanut butter with me.
Amy P. Philly runner
New to your site....found you through a mutual follower.
ReplyDeleteTraining for IMTX and having done a marathon before I LOL'd and almost spit coffee in reading your list.....
Pure greatness and spot on (except for the cameltoe one.....can't really relate to THAT one....although compression shorts do have a way of sneaking into places). :)
Your comparison would be moose knuckle.
DeleteI get annoyed until I get through the first mile. Sometimes it feels like I never ran a step until that morning!
ReplyDelete^^THIS Every run I start out feeling like I have no business being out here! Like I am a total fraud!
DeleteLove it all! Perfect sucks!
ReplyDeleteIt creates a lot more laundry. Won't stop me either.
ReplyDeleteWhy does it take soooo long to get kitted up and ready for a 'run' ? Once, I am ready... I could go for days! Dry mouth sucks... I have had to get creative with saliva! Getting back up to speed post injury!!! So demoralizing until I realize just how blessed I am to still be able to RUN!
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the others. Thank you for sharing this journey and a laugh along the way!
Love it! About dry mouth...I have dry mouth anyway from meds I take, so I chew gum while I run. It really helps! Occasionally I do bubble gum and blow bubbles--good for breath control! Only problem is taking extra gum in the pockets, forgetting it's there, and finding it later on the sides of the dryer. Or peeling it out of my pocket, after it's dried. Eeew.
ReplyDeleteMost annoying thing for me (and I agree with all you pointed out) is that I start out dreading the run, try to run faster to get through it, then love the feeling when it's over and want to do it again. Geesh! How confusing is that?!
ReplyDeleteIce baths are my "frenemy" - they really do work! My biggest running annoyance:
ReplyDeleteIf I gotta pee, I just can't hold it before or through a run anymore. Must find the porta potties or - if lines are too long - behind porta potties. That whole "having kids" thing really messed with my ability to "hold" it.
The thing I hate about running is that it actually chooses some people. Running chose my BIG bro. He is a natural. He runs a 7-min mile without any training. I train almost contantly and I am no where near a 7-min mi. And the stories that go something like: I just decided to get off the couch one day, registered for a Half Marathon, trained for 3 days and came in first in my age group!
ReplyDeleteI hate those people.
The most annoying part of running for me is the injury (sometimes more than 1) that can result. Really it's just annoying when it keeps me from running!!!
ReplyDeleteBoobs. and finding the right sports bra for running with boobs. i have fake ones and the chafing is unreal.
ReplyDeleteand what annoys me too is like the above commenter. how are some people just naturally faster than others? I think its all about the genetic body you were born with. anyone can run. very few are going to be very good at it.
it also annoys me how i can have a great run one day and 2 days later i run and it feels like ive never run before in my life!
So funny! I'm not a runner, but I have tried to run in the past and the breathing thing is the one I most agree with. Love this list!
ReplyDeleteI love all these comments. it makes me feel like i'm not alone and i'm also learning so much! Although Ive been running for 10 years i just signed up for my first half marathon in April.
ReplyDeleteand if you think running is expensive, try owning a horse!
Truly , I love it all. Even ...no. ESPECIALLY camel toe ;-)
ReplyDeleteI can't wear open-toe shoes/sandals! Well, unless I want to scare the hellavu of folks out there. Hmmm...now that's food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI've resolved the camel toe issue by wearing running skirts. The only thing I can totally relate to is being chased by dogs. In fact I was actually bitten by a dog. I still carry the scars! Both mentall and physcially.
ReplyDeleteEmbrace the suck! My least fave thing about winter running - even a medium length run can give me butt chafe ...
ReplyDeleteThe time. Just the amount of time can be annoying especially when the kid has to go to school. Doesn't the school know I have to run and don't want to run at 5am all the time just so I'm back in time to drop him off?
ReplyDeleteLet's push the start of school to 10am and let me run at 8am and then keep him until 6pm. Works for me.
Yeah, you should add nipple bleed, big problem for men.
ReplyDelete