Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Training Run Conversations

Now that you have a training partner, you may need some help with conversation topics. Well, if you have social skills like me, you could use some help. The rest of you socially-competent folks are fine. Go ahead and skip this section.

Those long runs can last forever, so these should help fill the awkward lulls. I'm dividing the topics based on familiarity with the training partner.

Partner you just met:
  • Weather
  • Movies you've recently watched
  • Running history, how and why you started
  • Profession
  • Kids (if you have them... otherwise pets are acceptable)
Someone you've known for a few weeks:
  • Educational history
  • Family history
  • Food preferences/diet
  • Observations about other runners you see on the trail, but stay positive
  • Favorite childhood cartoons and/or toys
Someone you've been running with for months:
  • Political views
  • Religious views
  • Philosophy of life
  • Dreams and aspirations
  • Whether you sleep in the nude or prefer pajamas
  • Annoying co-workers
Someone you've been running with for at least a year:
  • Details of the poop you just took in the woods(color, consistency, etc.)
  • How different sports bras and/or shorts keep your breasts or genitals from bouncing
  • Your real dreams and aspirations that you were too embarrassed to admit earlier
  • Best place to dispose of the bodies of those annoying coworkers*
  • That trip to Cancun, the video on the internet, and your resulting illegitimate child

*Just kidding law enforcement friends.

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2 comments:

  1. Dude... You didn't wait a year to tell me about your last poop.

    I think these rules change when you are running next to someone in an ultra marathon..

    1 Mile together-
    Name

    2 Miles together (Not just trading places)
    Where are you from?
    What do you do when you are not training?
    What did you wife think about your training before she left you?
    What races have you been running?

    3-5 Miles (a life time for a marathon runner)
    What is your next race?
    How many spouses have you lost to running?
    Are there aliens out there?

    6-20 miles - You are now BFF's
    Life story,
    Politics,
    Color of last poop
    Things that piss you off

    20-50 miles- Practically married
    Repeat life Story
    Talk about next race you will run together
    You can now talk about sex

    50-99 miles- They are now family
    Include them in your will

    100 miles- Your sprint at the end results in a divorce

    Just Sayin!

    ReplyDelete
  2. HAHAHAHA!! Omg... put Brandon's comment in the book.

    ReplyDelete