Poll of the Day > So I went out, it's 5am and the gas station is open, lets get some snacks...

(+) Yeah! (+)

I don't really like people so this is also convenient.

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Two steps out the door and there's a gang of people in [gym-like] uniforms running around... like 20 people. Weird, I didn't know we had early morning runners

On the way back I get my anti-social rage (not really panic attacks, I just get defensive and ready to fight even though that's not necessary)... a girl approached me and asked if I had any 'rolling papers'

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5am people are weird, man


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I always find groups of runners like that weird. Who the hell wants a crowd like that with you while running. Just be a normal person like me and get your 6 miles in with a dog at 4 AM.

5 am is one of those weird times where the streets are mostly degenerates from the night before, annoyingly motivated people getting in cardio, and construction dudes in their trucks.

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hockey7318 posted...

I always find groups of runners like that weird. Who the hell wants a crowd like that with you while running. Just be a normal person like me and get your 6 miles in with a dog at 4 AM.

Speaking as someone who used to run track, running with a group is ALWAYS more enjoyable than running alone, unless you're a complete antisocial people-phobe.

It can actually be helpful if you're trying to do a light workout as opposed to heavy training (because if you're too out of breath to talk to the person next to you, you're running too hard), it can motivate you to keep going when you might otherwise stop (because the group acts as a bit of peer pressure), and it gives you a way to pass the time other than just listening to headphones or whatever.

The problem is, when you run with large groups of people on a regular basis, you may eventually run out of things to talk about. Hence one conversation my track team had when we were running where we basically spent 45 minutes talking about the consistency of poop and other poop-related health discussion. After which we were like, "Okay, we've officially run out of all topics to talk about."
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Speaking as someone who used to run track, running with a group is ALWAYS more enjoyable than running alone, unless you're a complete antisocial people-phobe.

It can actually be helpful if you're trying to do a light workout as opposed to heavy training (because if you're too out of breath to talk to the person next to you, you're running too hard), it can motivate you to keep going when you might otherwise stop (because the group acts as a bit of peer pressure), and it gives you a way to pass the time other than just listening to headphones or whatever.

The problem is, when you run with large groups of people on a regular basis, you may eventually run out of things to talk about. Hence one conversation my track team had when we were running where we basically spent 45 minutes talking about the consistency of poop and other poop-related health discussion. After which we were like, "Okay, we've officially run out of all topics to talk about."

I don't mind running with a couple of people, but I'm no fan of large groups like that for running. Marathon training with my sister was great and really helped our relationship because, like you said, we would talk on and off during our runs which helped us keep a maintainable pace. So I guess I'm good with small groups, just never really wanted to try and run with the larger groups I see.

Either way, there aren't a lot of people willing to run with me before I start work at 6 in the morning so it's mostly just me and my dog until we get to the weekend.

You must look like a stoner.

Yeah everyone's either out late or up early lol

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hockey7318 posted...

So I guess I'm good with small groups, just never really wanted to try and run with the larger groups I see.

Yeah, it can definitely hinge on how large your group is (most of my runs were with groups of around 8 people or so).

But even larger groups can help with things like motivation, setting pace, security (if you're running in less-than-safe neighborhoods early in the morning or later at night), and just generally making things a little less monotonous.

Considering how much people always complain about how lazy and obese people are these days, I'm definitely not going to discourage people from running however they want, though. At least they're running in the first place.
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I remember when Pokemon Go came out and everyone thought it was the beginning of a "Golden Age" of Americans getting outside and exercising again

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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Yeah, it can definitely hinge on how large your group is (most of my runs were with groups of around 8 people or so).

But even larger groups can help with things like motivation, setting pace, security (if you're running in less-than-safe neighborhoods early in the morning or later at night), and just generally making things a little less monotonous.

Considering how much people always complain about how lazy and obese people are these days, I'm definitely not going to discourage people from running however they want, though. At least they're running in the first place.

Oh I'd never discourage people from running in groups or doing anything that will get them on their feet and moving. I'm always surprisingly stoked when I see someone who is clearly working their ass off plodding along in the road. There's a facebook group of Michigan Runners that has people at all levels posting about their runs whether they're doing sub 7 minute miles for a half marathon or just getting out for a 12 minute mile. It's encouraging seeing people be motivated and trying to improve themselves. I don't post, but I do enjoy seeing it for some reason.

Most of my motivation comes from my dog absolutely loving the shit out of running and the fact that I feel like I've accomplished something before most people are rolling out of bed. I'm also lucky enough that the only safety concerns I have on my runs is the handful of skunks I see roaming around and the possibility of being flattened by the newspaper delivery guy that flies through my neighborhood. I've got a pretty good light up vest that hopefully makes that not very likely though.

I went to a 7 Eleven at like 2am once a few years ago and a prostitute tried to get my business.

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supergamer19 posted...

5 am is one of those weird times where the streets are mostly degenerates from the night before, annoyingly motivated people getting in cardio, and construction dudes in their trucks.

damn, it's true!