You Know You’re A Runner When: 26.2 Signs

How do you know if someone is a runner? I’m surprised you have to ask because our non-stop chatter about it is usually quick giveaway!

We’ve beat the dead horse of if you run any distance, you are a real runner. So this isn’t about deciding to call yourself a runner. It’s really about laughing at the insanity that becomes your life once you are a runner.

Being a distance runner isn’t just a thing you do now and then, it becomes an identity. It takes over your closet, your laundry room, your kitchen cabinets are filled with energy gels and your weekends are all about the long run.

But even before we tackle something like the marathon, it starts to take over.

So let’s look at some obvious signalize that quickly answers the “are you a runner” question.

26.2 You Know You Are a Runner When

Let’s be honest, I don’t know how I’m going to make .2 of a point…. then again I’m usually not sure how I’ll run that final .2 miles when I’m exhausted and yet somehow it always happens.

Distance runners are a rare and amusing breed.

Which on this list can you check off??

1. You own more running shoes than regular shoes (ok more running shoes than shoes owned by the rest of your family).
2. Your running gear costs more than the rest of your wardrobe (and you don’t even care).
3. You know the difference between feeling like you can’t and knowing you’re out of gas (because you’ve been there, done that).
4. You can’t wait for vacation because it means extra time to find new running routes in new places.
5. You understand words like fartlek, pronation, Pose method (and you love to talk about them).
6. You wake up earlier on Saturday to run than for work on Monday (and you don’t even mind).
7. You know it’ s a lie every time you say this is my last….(the memories fade and registration buttons are so enticing)
8. You can complain about the pain of running and extol it’s virtues in the same sentence (that pain made me a better person).
9. You know immediately when someone says they ran a marathon last weekend and they mean a 5K (and you’ve heard it enough you don’t even feel like correcting them).
10. You often find yourself assuming anyone who passes you isn’t running as far…they couldn’t possibly be, you’re a distance runner!
11. You’ve been accused of having a one track mind (which is what makes you show up consistently for all your runs).
12. You know that peanut butter is a valid food group and best eaten on a slice of bread with banana before a race.
13. You know the art of porta potty usage, hover, sleeves for doors and bring your own back up TP (and your lung capacity means you can hold your breathe for the duration).
14. You have ridiculous tan lines and are proud of them because they represent hard work (and yes even with sunscreen you get them).
15. Your best stories all start with “so I was running…” (reason enough to do a relay race or try a crazy new distance).
16. You await Marathon Monday like others do the Super Bowl (and you’re ridiculously unproductive at work watching it)
17. You aren’t deterred by running bad weather, you’re ready to feel like a bad ass or get creative.
18. You know it’s not weird to run back and forth in front of your house to get to round numbers. Only psychos leave things at 4.27.
19. You don’t look at running as something you have to do, it’ something that enhances everything else in your life.
20. You’re convinced running solves nearly all life problems (because you are extremely smart).
21. You say the words easy and a double digit number in the same sentence to describe your run (congrats you must be tapering).
22. You have no issues adding on an extra mile or two for an extra slice of pizza (yes you do indeed run to eat on some level).
23. You appreciate the ways running has shaped your life
24. You have a bathroom schedule to ensure you are not the “mad pooper” currently all over the news.
25. You have solved world hunger and other life altering things during a run (you just can’t remember them later)
26. You know how to refute all the ongoing running myths, like it’s bad for your knees (but you’ve got better things to do…like go run).

26.2: You know life is better when you run. It doesn’t matter how far, it doesn’t matter how fast, it doesn’t matter if it’s solo or with friends. Any mile is a good mile.

All right there’s some amusement for your distance runner mind to ponder.

But in case you want a little more fun reading:

• Lies All Runner’s Tell
• Funny Running Puns
• Funny quotes about running
• What Is Hitting the Wall in a Marathon
• What to do when your legs feel dead
• Come join me on Instagram where I post all those silly quotes

Other ways to connect with Amanda
Instagram Daily Fun: RunToTheFinish

Facebook Community Chatter: RunToTheFinish

Sign Up to Receive a Weekly Newsletter with Top Running Tips