By Amanda Theobald
Okay, I admit my bias in this article because the majority of my friends are indeed runners. Nevertheless, I really do think runners are the best friends to have, except for really generous and rich friends. However, those friends are hard to find while runners are really easy to make friends with, because all you have to say is, “wanna go on a run sometime?” Then on this run they may tell you about a time they peed/crapped their p
ants while running. What gets you closer to someone faster then sharing embarrassing, personal stories about bodily functions? Nothing, except maybe seeing 98% of their legs. That is assuming they wear split shorts, and they may not, but I am an advocate of men in split shorts. Stay tuned for a split short blog, because they are deserving of their own spotlight.
Its also nice to have someone who won’t be annoyed if you have to make plans around your running schedule. Friends who try to encourage you to not run are the worst. Real friends don’t do that. Better yet, scheduling a run with a friend is great time management because you can accomplish your socializing and your workout for the day in one shot.
Runner friends will let you complain about your injuries, and relate with sympathy and encouragement. They know what shin splints are and how bad IT band syndrome really hurts and don’t assume you are just a pansy. Although some runners are pansies, but they can still make for good friends. Runner friends encourage you by saying things like “suck it up” or “HTFU”, which can make you a stronger person.
Often times a runner friend is someone who you can eat a large amount of calories with sans judgement. Even if they don’t participate in the consumption of all these calories and only observe it, they do so without looking at you like you are a glutton on the verge of a heart attack.
Depending on the closeness of the friendship, a runner friend might help you stretch out really tight, hard to get muscles; or even massage tight spots. My friends have dug their elbows into my gluteus many a times. They are less likely to care if you show up a little stinky or slightly disheveled, looking less than your best in running clothes. Finally, racing can be so much more fun with a friend by your side at the start line, and throwing around high fives at the finish.
There you have it, a pretty solid argument for why runners are the best friends. Hopefully, we can all be a little more thankful for the runners we have in our lives. If you don’t have many runner friends, come by our 700 East store’s free running group Saturday mornings at 8am. All paces are welcome and the running route has an option for varying distances.