1. I have a heightened sense of hearing for all running-related conversations which allows me to eavesdrop on even the quietest of discussions from hallways away.
2. I run faster if I’m angry or sad, which means I’ve run equally fast listening to Eminem’s “I’m Not Afraid” as I have listening to Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe.”
3. I don’t need to run to music…I’ve gotten through several twenty-mile runs on daydreams alone.
4. Some of my fastest race times have been when I was sick or uncomfortable in some way.
5. When I’m training, I crave French fries nearly 24 hours/day.
6. I’ve cried at the finish line of every marathon.
7. I drink black coffee before every run.
8. My former boyfriend used to threaten to break up with me if I ever peed my pants during a race for the sake of a better time. Note: This is not why we broke up. And I have never peed my pants during race. Yet.
9. I once raced a girl all the way around Central Park who had no clue we were racing.
10. I never really liked beer until I started marathon training, now it’s one of my favorite drinks and I crave it almost as much as French fries.
11. I have a tendency to play make believe when I run. For example, when I run down long, steep hills I pretend that I’m a fairy by leaning forward, taking long strides, and gaining as much speed as I can until I feel like I’m flying. Also, sometimes when run on/in obstacle-heavy terrain/weather, I pretend that I’m a character in a video game.
12. My relationships with running shoe brands and models have often paralleled my romantic relationships.
13. If you run with me, I will talk to you the whole time—this will happen regardless of if you wear headphones or not.
14. My sister is my favorite running buddy because she also talks the whole time. In fact, some our greatest heart-to-hearts have been during ten-plus mile runs.
15. Sweet potatoes are my go-to night-before-a-race meal.
16. I once spent the entirety of a fourteen-mile run daydreaming about what I would do if I saw a mountain lion. (To be fair, this was in Southern California where my chances of seeing a mountain lion are one-billion percent more than in NYC.)
17. I have confirmation bias down to an art form when it comes to convincing myself that running is good for things it is not necessarily good for and/or that things that are not necessarily good for running are good for running. For example, I have Googled “running is good for colds” and “beer is good for running.” (I have also, on one or two occasions, Googled, “beer is good for colds.”)
18. I’m terrible at eating “enough” protein.
19. When I’m running in New York, I tend to smile at everyone I pass because that’s what people do in Michigan, but when I’m running in Michigan I feel weary of the fact that everyone I pass smiles at me.
20. My parents don’t necessarily love my passion for marathon running, but nobody has supported me more than they have. There’s a lot of personal time, work, and willpower that goes into marathon training/running, but I would not have crossed any of the finish lines that I did if it were not for my parents, my sister, and my aforementioned former boyfriend/current friend. Note: RE #12–I am not still friends with any of my ex-running shoes.

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