Being friends with a Runner (it can change things)

As many of my friends can tell you, it is not always easy to be friends with a person whose idea of a picturesque weekend involves double digit mile runs (while looking fabulous in neon florescents).

When I was training for my first Marathon, we began to joke that training was my boyfriend, as a lot of time was spent laying a solid foundation which I could build up from. Instead of hanging out after work or going for coffee on a Saturday morning I was either pounding the pavement or making a splash in the pool. If you add up the hours I spent running and cross-training it may be alarming at first, but the reality of it is, what else would I have been doing with my time? Now don't get me wrong, there were plenty of times when I didn't feel like running or swimming. Or I would start feeling fantastic and then 5 minutes in be experiencing a complete mental lapse and spend the next hour or so thinking what was I doing and why? But at the end of the day, a runner is something that I wanted and want to be; therefore, I pushed through the bad in hopes that the next one will be better.

The fact of the matter is that if I'm in a slump I know it is only a matter of time before I fee like I'm flying when I lace up my shoes. 

But back to the friends thing, being friends with a runner can be annoying. I realize this, and my friends are fantastic. They appeased me and listened to my talks of training runs, the things I was experiencing and allowed me to grow. Now this is great, but the best gift my friends have given me is picking up the challenge of running and joining me in living a more active lifestyle. Just as my relationship with running has involved, so has my relationship with my friends. We find, try and swap healthy recipes, and enjoy nights in of fantastic food experiments that are full of flavor, protein and veggies. A friend of mine even went as far as to deem Tuesdays as running and pizza night (she lives on a massive hill/mountain that equipped me for the hills of San Fransisco). Another friend of mine has begun a couch to 5 km program, which although I would like to say I inspired, the truth of the matter is that she has decided that this is the year that she is going to make a lifestyle change. As a runner, I have to thank my friends and family for inspiring me to do things I never thought possible by listening, believing in me and pushing themselves outside their comfort zones.

So I warn you, if you are friends with a runner, do not be surprised if they try to talk you into trying it out, and do not ever compare yourself to someone else. While it is good to set goals, be realistic and remember that even on the worst work out or running days, at least you did it! There are plenty of people who wouldn't have even gotten out the door or put their workout gear on and tried. And if you don't want to run, that's okay too!  So if you are friends with a runner, thanks for listening to us oddballs and pretending you care about chaffing, dry fit, compression socks and fueling.