Runners have a slightly different definition of “normal.”
Wake up before sunrise on a Saturday to run 10 miles?
Normal.
Pay money to run up hills?
Normal.
Plan an entire vacation around a race?
Also normal.
Spend 20 minutes discussing socks with another adult?
Completely reasonable.
If you've been running long enough, you probably don't even notice some of the strange habits you've developed. But to your non-running friends and family, some of the things runners regularly do make absolutely no sense.
Here are a few things that seem completely normal to runners—and slightly crazy to everyone else.
1. Waking Up Earlier on Saturday Than You Do for Work
Monday through Friday:
The alarm goes off and getting out of bed feels impossible.
Saturday:
The alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m. and somehow you're immediately awake because...
IT'S RACE DAY.
You're dressed, eating breakfast and checking the weather before most of your neighborhood has even considered waking up.
Your non-running friends are still asleep.
You're driving across town wearing a race bib.
This seems perfectly reasonable.
2. Paying Money to Run
This might be the hardest part of running for non-runners to understand.
"Wait. You paid $40 to run a 5K?"
Yes.
"Couldn't you just run 3.1 miles around your neighborhood for free?"
Technically?
Yes.
But then there wouldn't be a starting line, race bib, official time, other runners, cheering spectators, finish-line excitement and the satisfaction of seeing your name in the results.
It's different.
Runners understand.
3. Running Before You're Going to Run
You arrive at a 5K.
You're about to run 3.1 miles.
So naturally...
You go for a run.
To prepare for the run.
This is called a warm-up.
Try explaining that to someone who doesn't run.
"So you're running before the race because you don't want to get tired during the race?"
Exactly.
Makes perfect sense.
4. Driving Somewhere to Run
Your neighborhood has roads.
There are sidewalks nearby.
You could simply walk outside your front door and start running.
Instead, you'll drive 20 minutes across town to meet someone so the two of you can run together.
Then you'll drive home.
No explanation necessary.
5. Talking About the Weather Constantly
Normal people check the weather to decide whether they need a jacket.
Runners check the weather like they're preparing a meteorological research report.
Temperature?
Humidity?
Wind direction?
Chance of rain?
Dew point?
What will the temperature be at 7:00 a.m.?
What about 8:30?
Is that 12 mph wind sustained or gusting?
And if there's a race coming up, you'll start checking the forecast approximately nine days too early—even though you know it's going to change.
6. Owning an Impressive Number of Running Shoes
To a non-runner, running shoes are running shoes.
To a runner, that's ridiculous.
Those are everyday trainers.
Those are speed-day shoes.
Those are trail shoes.
Those are racing shoes.
Those are the shoes you don't really like anymore but aren't emotionally prepared to throw away.
And those?
Those have 347 miles on them.
Obviously.
7. Knowing Exactly How Many Miles Are on Your Shoes
Ask someone how many miles are on their car.
They probably know.
Ask them how many miles are on their shoes.
They'll look at you strangely.
Ask a runner?
"These have 286 miles. I'll probably retire them around 350 or 400."
Completely normal conversation.
8. Planning Routes Based on Exact Distances
A normal person sees a road.
A runner sees mileage.
"If I go down this street, loop around the park, run past the school and add the little neighborhood loop, that should be about six miles."
Then you get home and your watch says:
5.93 miles.
Absolutely not.
You turn around and run past your house until the watch says 6.00.
Because stopping at 5.93 would obviously be unacceptable.
9. Running in Circles Around a Parking Lot
Speaking of getting the mileage exactly right...
Few things confuse bystanders more than watching someone finish a run and then begin making tiny circles around a parking lot.
You're not lost.
You're not confused.
Your watch says 4.96 miles.
There is work to be done.
10. Getting Excited About Portable Toilets
At almost any other time, seeing a row of portable toilets isn't particularly exciting.
Race morning?
It's beautiful.
Especially when there are plenty of them.
Experienced runners immediately begin performing calculations.
How many toilets?
How many runners?
How long are the lines?
How many minutes until the start?
Race-morning logistics are serious business.
11. Having Very Strong Opinions About Socks
They're socks.
How complicated could this possibly be?
Very.
Runners know this.
Some socks are too thick.
Some are too thin.
Some slide.
Some bunch.
Some are perfect until mile eight and then suddenly become your worst enemy.
Once runners find socks they love, they're not just socks anymore.
They're equipment.
12. Being Happy When Someone Hands You a Banana
Finish a normal activity and someone hands you a banana?
That's a little strange.
Cross a finish line and someone hands you a banana?
This is the greatest banana anyone has ever grown.
Add a bottle of water and maybe a snack?
Five-star finish-line experience.
13. Wearing a Watch in the Shower
You just finished running.
You're sweaty.
You get in the shower.
Your GPS watch stays on.
Why?
It needs to be rinsed off too.
Also, there's a reasonable chance you'll forget you're wearing it because at this point it has basically become part of your arm.
14. Running on Vacation
Most people go on vacation to relax.
Runners pack their running shoes before almost anything else.
Then comes the research.
Are there trails near the hotel?
Is there a good waterfront route?
Can I run from the hotel?
Are there any races happening while we're there?
Suddenly the family vacation has a 5K on Saturday morning.
Funny how that happens.
15. Choosing a Vacation Because of a Race
Eventually runners advance beyond simply running while on vacation.
Now the race becomes the reason for the vacation.
Someone asks:
"Why are you going to that city?"
There's a half marathon.
Of course there is.
16. Keeping Old Race Bibs
They're pieces of paper with numbers printed on them.
Except they're not.
That one was your first 5K.
That one was your personal best.
That one was the race where it poured rain.
That one was the race you ran with your family.
That one was absolutely miserable and you swore you'd never run again.
You can't throw those away.
They have memories attached to them.
17. Looking at Race Results Even When You Didn't Race
You didn't participate.
You weren't even there.
But someone mentioned the race.
So naturally you look up the results.
Who won?
What was the winning time?
Who was in your age group?
Did anyone you know run?
Five minutes later you're analyzing results from a race you didn't know existed yesterday.
18. Immediately Looking for Another Race
You just crossed the finish line.
Your legs are tired.
You're sweaty.
You may have spent part of the race questioning why you enjoy this hobby.
Then someone says:
"There's another 5K in two weeks."
Your response?
"Where?"
The recovery process has officially begun.
19. Saying, “It’s Only a 5K”
At some point, runners lose perspective.
"What are you doing Saturday?"
"Just a 5K."
Just.
3.1 miles.
Before you became a runner, the idea of voluntarily running more than three miles might have sounded impossible.
Now it's something you casually squeeze in before breakfast.
That's actually pretty cool when you think about it.
20. Getting Excited When Someone Says They're Thinking About Running
This may be the most predictable runner behavior of all.
Someone casually says:
"I've been thinking about doing a 5K."
They have no idea what they've just started.
Within minutes, you're asking questions.
Which race?
Have you picked one?
Do you have running shoes?
Want me to send you some races?
Want to run together?
Suddenly you're more excited about their first 5K than they are.
Because runners remember what it was like to stand at that first starting line.
Maybe Runners Are a Little Crazy
Let's admit it.
From the outside, some of this probably does look strange.
We wake up early to run.
We pay entry fees to run.
We drive places to run.
We buy special shoes, watches, socks and clothes specifically for running.
We talk about races that happened years ago.
We celebrate personal records that may only be a few seconds faster than our previous ones.
And after finishing a difficult race, we somehow convince ourselves to do another one.
But that's also what makes the running community fun.
The distances, paces and goals may be different, but runners understand one another.
So the next time someone asks why you woke up at 5:00 a.m., drove an hour, paid an entry fee and stood outside in the cold just to run 3.1 miles...
Don't worry about explaining it.
Just tell them they're welcome to join you at the next starting line.