Doing Marathons/Triathlons is a Status Symbol in the DC Area? (to buy, income)

[HurricaneDC]

Coldbliss' profile of the average Washingtonian reminded me of this


‪American Psycho intro‬‏ - YouTube

[CocoTheNut]

I agree with what ColdBliss wrote. It's not true in every case. But it makes me wonder when some people go out of their way to brag.

And of course, I knew someone would bring the obesity epidemic. It just makes me wonder why we are driven to excess and from one extreme to the other. Either you are sitting on the sofa eating a family-size bag of chips or you are running multiple marathons a year. Where's the balance?

Originally Posted by Alley01

I usually run two Marathons and four to six Half Marathons a year.

My body aches just reading this! In a way, I can see running races a few times a year to beat the monotony of your training routine. And I have heard that comraderie in these races is great.

Originally Posted by Alley01

Don't knock it until you try it. You may become addicted too!

I actually used to run but I am on the injured reserve list until this fall, hopefully no later. So maybe I am just jealous. It is quite enjoyable and you can't beat that runner's high. But, I never felt compelled to run more than 5-6 miles a few times a week when I was at the height of my fitness level.

[BoomBoxing]

Originally Posted by CocoTheNut

Either you are sitting on the sofa eating a family-size bag of chips or you are running multiple marathons a year. Where's the balance?

Exactly. Modesty, the middle road, moderation - whatever you want to call it - is one of the oldest and most enduring personal philosophies in the world for a reason. And people, especially on the internet, always seems to want to label everyone from one extreme to the other, no matter what the topic. It's ridiculously childish.

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I think Coldbliss is aiming to elevate misanthropy to an art form. And he probably gets an endorphin rush not too different from that experienced by a marathoner when some of you rush to the defense of his targets.

Anyway, yeah, of course, but at the end of the day most people in this area fall somewhere between Chinese factory workers putting in long shifts and living in cramped quarters with no air conditioning and Europeans who have a long dinner every other evening, and then smoke and drink wine until the wee hours of the morning. Life could be better, it could be worse.

Trying to stay healthy is a good thing, particularly if the alternative is having to subsidize someone else's emergency trips to the hospital. Just don't blather about your personal training routine like the staffers profiled on The Hill.

By the way, I think a lot of long-distance runners are introverted, Type Bs, rather than CEO (or, since this is DC, agency head) types.

Good points, Jeb. I think what bothers me is this broad caricature that everybody who goes to a certain bar or runs a race is automatically making six figures and a workaholic (obviously can't be working that hard if they're training). A lot of these people have very middling incomes, but angry people looking in from afar can't see individuals beyond broad, bigoted stereotypes. It's just a very base level of discourse that, you're right, is presented to get a rise. Jsusm85 does it with poor black people for the same thrill.

[Alley01]

Originally Posted by CocoTheNut

I agree with what ColdBliss wrote. It's not true in every case. But it makes me wonder when some people go out of their way to brag.

And of course, I knew someone would bring the obesity epidemic. It just makes me wonder why we are driven to excess and from one extreme to the other. Either you are sitting on the sofa eating a family-size bag of chips or you are running multiple marathons a year. Where's the balance?

My body aches just reading this! In a way, I can see running races a few times a year to beat the monotony of your training routine. And I have heard that comraderie in these races is great.

I actually used to run but I am on the injured reserve list until this fall, hopefully no later. So maybe I am just jealous. It is quite enjoyable and you can't beat that runner's high. But, I never felt compelled to run more than 5-6 miles a few times a week when I was at the height of my fitness level.

I can relate to you in that I haven't been able to run for the last six months - I am expecting my first baby next month and I can do moderate exercise but no races, no long distance runs, just walking. Boring, Boring, Boring! The moment I get clearance from my doctor after my baby is born is the moment I will start preparing for another Half or Full.

I must admit that I was in the same boat about looking at the quantity of races people were running, and started out with the one race, but added another just to exceed my bucket list goal. But, I was in fantastic shape during the preparation for the races and I noticed that I would start to slack with the gym schedule when I didn't have a race to prepare for so I added a couple more. But, my quantity got up there when I heard about certain races and they looked like a ton of fun. I figure I need to run the races I really want to run now since I am still young instead of waiting until I do have some injury or my age is up there. But, I still get up before every race and want to go back to sleep...it takes so much effort to get to the start line for some of these races.

I hope you recover soon so you can add at least one race to your schedule!

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by DomRep

where they ride a bike for 100 miles. More power to them, it's for charity, but 100 miles?

"Century" rides (a hundred miles in a day) are pretty standard for good cyclists. It's hardly elite cyclist material; this year's Tour de France covered 855 miles over one week, then took one day of rest before heading into the mountains. (Fun.)

As for marathons, it's hardly just DC. From 2009-2010, marathon registration nationwide increased 10%!

In general, the past generation has seen participatory sports increase in popularity and spectator sports decrease. People with more education are more likely to participate -- and this region has the country's best educated populace.

[The Heartbreak Kid]

Again, what is wrong with being an accomplished athlete. Since, when did this become bad?

[DomRep]

Originally Posted by The Heartbreak Kid

Again, what is wrong with being an accomplished athlete. Since, when did this become bad?

I don't think coldbliss is saying it's bad...I think he (or she?? not sure?) is saying DC is filled with a lot of people who do nothing but work their asses off, and barely have time to do anything (which is true for the most part). I myself work out 3-4 times a week, on top of working 50 hrs per week. All I do when I get home is shower, make something quick, and then watch some tv and bed. Rinse, repeat.

[The Heartbreak Kid]

Originally Posted by DomRep

I don't think coldbliss is saying it's bad...I think he (or she?? not sure?) is saying DC is filled with a lot of people who do nothing but work their asses off, and barely have time to do anything (which is true for the most part). I myself work out 3-4 times a week, on top of working 50 hrs per week. All I do when I get home is shower, make something quick, and then watch some tv and bed. Rinse, repeat.

I am in this same boat as you with this routine. However, I don't see why this is a bad thing. I got Coldbliss point that DC is filled with people who simply work and workout but I don't see why this is bad.

[Alley01]

The question really comes down to if that person is happy...sure there are plenty of people out there that would hate to have a schedule like that. I don't dispute that one bit. But, if someone likes to spend most of their time outside of the home or is occupied with many things that they enjoy then why bash those people? It is kind of like bashing those that go on vacation that don't relax on the beach...some people actually like to stay busy and see lots of things. To me, griping about those people described by the OP is almost making it seem like he/she is jealous of those people. I am sure that they didn't mean it that way, but it sure comes across that way. Who cares what other people do anyway? I don't concern myself with people as busy as I am or those who enjoy spending hours on the couch watching reality TV. But, that is just me.