RUNNING: BE Less SELFISH

Lake at sunset. Taken by PKSenagore April 17, 2017. All rights reserved.

IS RUNNING SELFISH? YES!!! ENJOY IT, BUT MAKE IT LESS SO
Susan Lacke, in her article, “Out There: Is Running Selfish?” for Competitor.com starts out by sharing her own perspective on this topic as a single person without children, and then goes on to quote other runners.

“The more I talked with fellow endurance athletes, the more the consensus grew: Yes, training is selfish. Yes, sometimes that selfishness inconveniences other people. Yes, that’s okay.”

The article offers a defense of those who spend time on the endurance ‘habit’, including an ultra-runner and a triathlete. The benefits of running, it contends, extend to family members, co-workers, and friends because the activity improves a runner’s ability to be “a better person, spouse, parent, employee, friend, and all-around human being”. Following a passion is something children are encouraged to do, especially in sports, says the tri-athlete, who wants to be able to enjoy being passionate about her sport too.

Lacke makes a convincing argument that being selfish is not always a terrible thing, Endurance runners’ children receive support to follow THEIR dreams; spouses may pursue career advancement, be rabid spectator sports’ fans, or enjoy hobbies. There should be “me” time for runners too, says the article. It ends with the statement, “Doing one good thing for you might just be the best thing to do for everyone else.”

Check. 

However, all this selfishness may weaken relationships at home and work and between friends. Long runs or workouts are time consuming when factoring in the warm-up and cool-down sessions; these efforts can leave little energy for other activities later in the day.

Is it possible to lessen the impact of running on our non-running lives?  Yes. Below are a few EARNED RUNS suggestions. You can become a less selfish runner by:

1. Getting in the required training hours first thing in the morning, whether on the road, in the water, on a bicycle, or in the gym. Runners in very hot regions of the country/world will eagerly meet up in pre-dawn hours to avoid the heat and make the going less dangerous. This can also be done to avoid endangering our relationships. It costs runners personal rest time but does not steal it from family and friends. Beware, this practice leads to earlier bedtimes, but during the week this can be beneficial for many reasons.
2. Limiting time spent away from home. If a family/friendship presence is important, increasing 'face time' can lessen running’s impact on our closest relationships.  Plan to locate workouts that do not involve running at home rather than the gym, like strength training sessions.  Consider inviting children, spouses, roommates, or significant others to participate with you in a non-running session; it's an opportunity for everyone to become a bit more athletic.
3. Expanding cross-training options can allow runners to share non-runners' sport passions. Swimming, cycling, tennis, stand-up paddle boarding, are among many activities that can serve as weekly cross-training sessions. Regardless of how well/poorly you perform in another person's favorite sport, it’s worth choosing one  that is loved by those closest to you for this purpose..
4. Limiting passions to one. It's a wise practice for all.  If expecting others to make allowances for your ‘selfish’ running, it’s best not to push the limits of patience with more than one passion. Helping children to understand this by example can be an important life lesson for them to learn as well.
5. Checking family or friend schedules before setting race dates or other running-related activities is a courtesy that should be extended to those who might be inconvenienced.  Assuming your running event is more important than the plans of others is a risky move in the world of relationships.  Always anticipate that an alternate plan might need to be put in play, including a costly cancellation.

AND
 6) Requesting and using Earned Runs bibs can maintain an endurance habit!!! The reason this company came into existence was because of difficulties I experienced as a    runner over many years, juggling family schedules.  Custom races can be designed to accommodate relationship demands.

Yes, runners are selfish. Consider lessening the impact of your endurance habit on important relationships so you can continue loving your sport AND becoming a better "all-around  human being". 

RUN HAPPY!

http://running.competitor.com/2015/09/out-there/out-there-is-running-selfish_135399