Dumb things people have said to me, during Boston Marathon Training. 

Posted byRunCanvasPosted inUncategorized

I am super lucky to have so many supportive people cheering me on as I train for my first Boston Marathon.  I have had a lot of great conversations with my non-runner friends.  I have also had some really silly ones.  Here are the most memorable ones. I bet a lot of you can relate.

  • “Are you going to win?”-Um, no.  I’m not going to be anywhere close to the winner.  I get asked this one a lot, surprisingly.  People will comment how I won (another previous, local race) so why not try to win at Boston.  I’ll be trying, believe me, but it would take an act of god for me to win.
  • “Are you afraid you’ll poop your pants?”-I can’t believe more than one person has asked me this.  Is this what non-runners think marathon runners do? Run and poop their pants? poop
  • “What is your fastest mile?”- I guess when someone isn’t a runner, maybe a mile seems like a long distance run to them?  I have lots of people who will ask me what my fastest mile is, when talking about the marathon.

mile

  • “Aren’t marathon runners tall? Or Your legs are too short”-It surprises people when I tell them that most elite runners aren’t super tall. I think people imagine super skinny basketball players.

short

  • “Have you heard about the guy who died (insert race here)”-This just isn’t nice.  We have had an unlucky event or two in our local races and people want to tell me about it.  That’s just mean.

marathon meme

  • “Marathons are bad for your (knees, heart, health..)”-Ugh, not this again.  I am sure that soda and chips you had for lunch and sedentary life style is a much healthier option.

knee

  • “I ran a 5k marathon once, how long is the Boston Marathon?”- This one usually makes me giggle.  Many non-runners seem to think marathon is a catch all phrase for road races.  One person thought I was joking when I said a marathon was 26.2, I still am not sure if she ever realized I was serious.

5k marathon

  • “Don’t you get tired”-Well duh! I usally feel sick, and everything hurts.  I can’t decide if I want to nap, shower, eat or vomit after I finish.  I’m trying to figure out how to manage all four at once when I return to my hotel.

tired

  • “How far is the bike portion of the marathon”- Triathlons are pretty cool, but its an entirely different sport.

confused

  • Wanna race?-  This is mostly my middle school students.  I get asked almost daily if I am ready to race.  It usually stops when track starts and they realize the tiny science teacher can run them all into the ground and call it a warm up.  ha!race me

Hopefully, you were able to laugh at one or two of these.  I know I did.  What are some funny things people have said to you about running?

Published by RunCanvas

Hi I am Janell! Avid runner and coach with 14 years of experience helping runners reach their goals. Wondering if working with a running coach is the right choice for you? Run coaching is available for ALL levels and paces. If you run, you are a runner. Hiring a running coach will help you to become stronger and more resilient – both physically and mentally.

7 thoughts on “Dumb things people have said to me, during Boston Marathon Training. ”

  1. I’ve gotten most of these too! Asking if you’re going to win is always crazy especially if it’s a big race. My friend said he told people he would win his “name category”, that he would be the fastest person with his name in the race. The only problem was that he has a fairly common first and last name and actually WAS NOT the fastest person with it (and he’s pretty speedy). Oops.

    One that gets me is when someone asks what pace I run on a daily basis and it is obviously a lot slower than what I do in a race. But usually it’s a beginner runner and they don’t realize that you have multiple paces for different race distances and easy days vs a tempo, long run, intervals, etc.

    And I love your memes :).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. HA, I can relate. I get asked how much I run every morning. When I answer between 4-20 people are often confused.

      Like

      Reply

  2. Also the one about runners being tall! I’m 5’0″ so I’m on the way short side but some of the greatest marathon runners, like Desi, are short as well. Not everyone is tall like Kara and Shalane.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. I get the ” Did You Win?” question often after a race. Also, “Are you going to run the Boston Marathon?” Umm.. no.. I would have to take at least 45 minutes off my time to quality, so it is currently not even on the radar.
    Funniest thing ever said about me was when one of my running buddies was telling her friend about my training schedule and the friend ( who had never met me) said, ” with a program like that, she must be built like a bronze goddess. ” No, not quite.
    Great post, It is nice to lighten up sometimes. Good luck at Boston. Do you think you will win?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Pingback: You might be a runner… Friday fun post – RunCanvas

Leave a reply to runcanvas Cancel reply