15 Most Annoying Types of Runners

I just read an article, well it was more like the pejorative "clickbait" type of "article" where you have to click each slide to see the next one rather than simply reading the "article".  It was titled The 15 Most Annoying Types of Runners, and I had to laugh a little because, I think I find myself in 12 or so of them -- that is, many folks would place me squarely in the category of "An Annoying Runner".  Here are the 15 types that they recognized:

1. The Chatty Runner - well, that is definitely not me.  I don't like to talk much anyway, and particularly when I am running.  I am certain that I have missed numerous opportunities to bond with my 12 year old.  Together time and face time for a long time, but instead I told him that I am not likely to talk to him much, so stick with me and we can talk AFTER we run.  That's some great parenting right there.  lol

2.  The One Who Doesn't Understand Pacing - I have definitely had my moments in this area.  Of course, I would love to tell you that I am getting better, alas I still have my meltdowns.

3.  The Stubborn One -  Right off the bat, it may be easy to say that I fit this one pretty well, but they go on to clarify what they mean by stubborn.  They are talking more about the person who just won't let you pass them.  Every time you pass them, they speed up.  I know that is annoying while driving.  I don't like people passing me.  Particularly the closer to the end that I get.  I get super bothered when someone blazes past me at mile 9 or 10.  Where the heck have they been and why when I am about to pass out do they have enough energy to smoke me?  How does that happen?  Of course the difference is I cannot stop them from passing, so I just watch them blow by, cursing under my breath.

4.  The Social Media-Obsessed One -  I certainly would not classify myself as social media-obsessed, but I do post all of my runs and activities on Strava and a few of them make their way on to Facebook.  For me it is a sort of accountability.  I set this goal to run 50 half marathons in 50 states in 50 months, because without a BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal), I would not likely accomplish much.  Then, after you create a BHAG, then you tell everyone about it, it is almost like you CANNOT not complete it.  Imagine, literally EVERYONE you know is aware of your goal, your quest and some of them you only see and/or hear from once a year, they ALL ask you, "How's the marathon thing coming?"  How embarrassing would it be to have to tell them ALL that you gave up?  That would suck!

5.  The One That's Naturally Gifted - I have always been fairly athletic, but I certainly would not suggest that I was naturally gifted - at running.  I have suggested all along that I am not a runner.  I feel like I have spent my entire life building a body type for something other than long-distance running, and now I am struggling to change my body type to be more "runner friendly".  For those of you in the know, you understand what I mean is I am fat and need to drop a whole bunch of weight.  Having said that, I have many times been passed by runners who are carrying much more weight around than me.  When I ran my PR in Arizona, I started right up front in the first corral, ran sub 8:00 minute miles -- felt really good about myself, and then at mile 11 I passed a lady who weighed 30 pounds more than me.  HOW DID SHE GET TO MILE 11 IN FRONT OF ME???  It is a mystery to me.  I'm just happy I was able to pass her.
The other aspect to this one is the perspective from the other side.  I have several friends who are secretly mad at me because I decided, with a lack of proper training to go run 50 half marathons, and actually run them, and I was able to just go and do that (for the most part).  I can see how that could be annoying.

6.  The One Who Always Flakes -  This is in reference to your running partner who doesn't show when they are supposed to.  Of course, I do not have a running partner.  I tried to make my son my running partner, but, well... he always flakes.  So, this one does not apply to me.

7.  The One Who Stinks -  This one made me laugh.  I am certain that I do not smell of roses and perfume while I am running or after.  I sweat, a lot.  The part that made me laugh has to do with a trip that I took recently.  I went to Seattle for a week.  I ran almost every day while I was there.  I only had one carry-on sized bag and I packed all of my clothes in zip-locked baggies to compress them and conserve space.  My used workout clothes were all placed in one zip-locked baggie for the trip home.  When my wife opened the bag to sort and wash my clothes from the trip (she is a super special lady - I am blessed), she nearly passed out as they had begun to ferment.  Even after she washed them, they STILL stunk and had to be washed again with vinegar or bleach or hydrochloric acid or something.  Sorry honey!

8.  The Uber Competitive One -- Yeah, I have to admit I am somewhat competitive, and by somewhat I mean, OMGoodness, everything is a competition and losing sucks! :)  I was gonna tell you a funny anecdotal story to make my point, but I think you get the idea, and the stroy ends with me losing, so that would simply be another blow to my fragile ego.

9.  The One Who Makes Excuses - As many of you have read throughout this blog, I have an excuse for everything.  I like to call it a theory of how the negative outcome may have happened, with the expressed purpose of correcting that aspect so as to not ever let it happen again.

10.  The "All Running, All the Time" One - I would not exactly put myself in this category either, as it is important to note that I have other interests and hobbies that I like to talk about - when I am forced to talk.  I think the key here is that it is not so important that we talk about running, however it is important to talk about me and my interests.  Just kidding, but enough about me, let's talk about you for a while.  What do you think of me?

11.  The Not-So-Humble Bragger - So, I suppose it depends on your perspective.  That is, I do not go out of my way to tell people about what I am doing or what I have done, or how well I did it, but people DO ask me a lot.  So, when they ask me, I tell them.  Also, I write this blog and post on social media, so it is all out there.  I don't see it as bragging, but everyone will likely have their own opinion.

12.  The Gear Snob - This one also made me laugh.  As those of you that have read this much know from previous posts that I have tried many things and considered many others.  I have $75 shorts - multiple pairs for heaven's sake.  On the other hand, I don't use my heart monitor and I don't have camel backs or fanny packs or fancy equipment.  Just my Garmin, my fancy shorts and socks and shoes, and then there is the whole ear-bud thing, but I am using them less and less.

13.  The "Your Pace is Fine" One - This one is in reference to running with others who are running slower than you are interested in running, yet you tell them you will run slower with them, but you don't.  I know it has been annoying to my lovely wife on more than one occasion where we would run "together", which means I would run on and circle back around multiple times.  I am sure she hates that.

14.  The Complainer - Have you read my blog?

15.  The Perpetually Injured One - I have been very fortunate that I have only had a couple of minor injuries.  I am betting that they would have healed much faster and without incident or drama if I had only rested properly instead of continuing to race.. but I have an agenda here, ain't nobody got time for injuries.

In recap, I suppose it would be appropriate to apologize to everyone right now for being annoying in many areas.  I get pretty annoyed with myself many times.

We are driving to Nags Head North Carolina.  Leaving this evening.  The race is not 'till Sunday, but the whole family is going, so we are making a trip out of it.  Noble and Valerie are still planning on running, so it should be fun.  Race recap when I return from State #14.