As the mornings have got lighter, the footpaths are filling (might be over-egging that) with runners.
Must have seen a couple of dozen on the way into work this morning alone.
Where were they two months ago?
This made me realise a couple of things:
- Some people who run aren't running the London Marathon, they're just running because they 'like' it.
- Some people only want to run when the weather's nice.
When considering the latter I initially - and quite naturally - considered them with contempt. Fairweather runners only doing it when it's easy and nice weather.
Sadly, my argument falls apart a bit when I think about my training over the last few months.
I can probably count on the fingers of one had the number of times I've run when it's been raining.
Snow - once. Wind - frequently (insert own joke here). But rain? Perhaps three times?
Perhaps it's the cold then?
Well, not really. I was sweating running in the snow, so that doesn't seem likely either.
That leads me to think that it's not so much the weather, as the light.
Have to admit, I'm not a fan of running when people can see me. That doesn't bode well for running around the streets of London with thousands of others alongside me, not to mention the thens of thousands lining the streets.
But, I guess it feels safer and less daunting to run in the light, so I'm going to reserve my contempt as it's possible the fairweather runners were still running in the winter, just not at the stupidly early time in the morning when I'm on my way to work.
Has got me wondering how many of them are training for the marathon though.
I think I've had exactly every single thought the same as you …
ReplyDelete- I've never yet run in the rain, snow once but rain never! I'd actually like it to rain on a run once, so I've experienced it before the big day
- indeed, just where have all these other runners come from?
- I still don't enjoy running, only the sense of achievement but that comes after, not during, and doesn't counterbalance the dread before
- and I do find myself looking runners up and down as they sprint past, wondering if they're actually doing the FLM, deciding in my mind they are not, and allowing myself to feel superior to them, since they are clearly fitter and faster than I am otherwise. I even turn my nose up at cycllists on Sunday mornings now, lightweights!
Haha! I do exactly the same too, maybe we're seeing more people running because they may have spent the winter in the gym.
ReplyDeleteI definately wonder which ones are doing the marathon, although I don't look like I could run for a bus never mind a marathon so I look at their kit and try to guess from that.
I had a friend who couldn't take female runners seriously if they wore a peaked cap whilst running. He went so far as to tell this to a really good friend of mine who could run a marathon in her sleep. Made for an awkward evening...