There is a common theme in the world of running. The theme of the unacceptable! What seems to be unthinkable in the “real” world becomes the norm amongst runners. And the Runners Lounge picked up said theme on this first Thursday after we officially switched back to daylight savings time and can now once again enjoy longer days and later runs.

Running is definitely a sport that allows you to be undignified on any given day without losing your dignity, because only in running:

* will a girl show off her black and lost toe nails with pride. Wearing flip flops or sandals just enhances this badge of honor

* will you set your alarm to 4am willingly only to get in a training run before you help out at a local race

* will you forgo Friday night “Happy Hour” in order to eat mounds of pasta, chased down by water, followed by an early night’s sleep

* will you run around dark streets during the early morning or late evening hours dressed like a coal miner with a headlamp stuck to your forhead

* will you blow snot out of your nose and onto the street and wipe the remains on your shirt

* will you have no shame of doing your business on the open road amongst total strangers, nor will you think twice about pulling down your pants in the men’s bathroom without stall doors because the line to the women’s bathroom is two miles long and the race is about to start

* will you hug the sweatiest of people because they are your running buddies

* will you soak your tired and achy body in a nice ice bath

* will you swallow liquified nutritional bars that have the consistency of wallpaper paste

* will you lay out your clothes the night before a race as if a real person is sitting in that chair, including socks tucked into shoes

* will you make friends solely on the basis of conversations about splits, finishing times, and goal finishing times for the next race

* will you understand why you need to be qualified to visit Boston

Today’s Running Tip: Don’t be embarrassed!

If you ever find yourself in a situation you have never encountered before as a runner, take comfort in the knowledge that others have been there, done that! 

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