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Why are people who run so obnoxiously self-important about it? This post makes no effort to explain why running is supposed to be the center of a human being’s

by pavlov 3y ago

Why are people who run so obnoxiously self-important about it? This post makes no effort to explain why running is supposed to be the center of a human being’s mental universe. People who happen to love running seem unable to understand that it’s not the same for everyone. You don’t see this kind of oblivious nonsense from someone who likes powerlifting or pastel drawing or making sushi.

deleted 3y ago
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EatingWithForks 3y ago
I definitely see this kind of nonsense from lifting, high intensity interval training, bodyweight exercises, rock climbing, cycling... I think when people get very passionate about something that was lifechangingly important to them, then its very easy to forget other people don't share that experience. It's probably better to generalize to have some level of daily activity that works for you. But then it's kind of boring, and everyone already knows this.
- jcfariadias 3y ago
  Yes, run is boring to me and probably to a lot of people. That's why I do things that are less boring and varied, like crossfit or other HIIT. It works for me. And still demotivation and excuses keep poping up for me to don't do it. That exactly the point of the article. Sports, even if it's just a mile run everyday, do probably more for you than just sitting around and finding excuses to do nothing. Because it's easier and people often tend to sit on their comfort zones. Also, to me, that's what lifechanging about daily sporting activities. Is NOT only getting fitter, thiner, etc. It's the mental empowerement that it provides you.
burnished 3y ago
Ok, lets reframe this just a touch, everyone who runs treats it as an important activity with powerful impacts on their lives, maybe its worth checking out? Like seriously - try answering your own question. Why would people behave that way?
ar_lan 3y ago
> You don’t see this kind of oblivious nonsense from someone who likes powerlifting But you do. You see this with essentially every type of exercise modality. * Powerlifters say cardio is of the devil and anybody who does it is actively losing all muscle in their body. * CrossFitters will leap at every opportunity to tell you how amazing it is - or at least that was the case a decade ago. * Brazilian Jiu Jitsu people are the new CrossFit. * Calisthenics people regularly act as if you can't do 20 strict ring muscle ups you really don't belong in the gym. * Bicyclists will say runners are shit because they are destroying their legs one step at a time. * Rowers will scoff at bicyclists because they have chicken arms. * Runners will laugh at everyone because they are the only discipline that you can truly do anywhere without equipment. Idk. The list goes on and on. Every athlete is like this. It's just a tribal mentality thing. We see it on HN with programming languages too.
- beebmam 3y ago
  There are also contrarians who just like to go against the grain, no matter what it is. Can you point out some of the flaws with your argument?
  - ar_lan 3y ago
    Indeed, there are folks who seem to seek out a problem in everything they read - usually to present themselves as smarter than the OP. > Can you point out some of the flaws with your argument? I think the only argument against what I said that is reasonable, but also applies to the person I responded to, would be that it is an over-generalization and not the case for the overwhelming majority of people who perform some activity.
tl 3y ago
His reasoning is fairly straightforward. From the article: > I have found that running every day, consistently, vastly improves my mental and physical well-being. > Every minute you run is your minute, and no one else's. And it feels good to allocate time to yourself every day. I do not find this article's tone obnoxious, but I do know people like that who run. See also, powerlifters. See also, artists. I don't know any obnoxious itamae but I don't know any itamae. I know home cooks who look down on people who eat out a lot. Does that count?
hattmall 3y ago
I don't really walk or run. But I actually think that walking, through nature is generally the center of the mental universe. Or at least the thing that can create chemical homeostasis in the brain. Everything about humans from an evolutionary standpoint is improved towards walking through a forest type environment. There is some research that shows lateral movements in the periphery of the eye, such as what occurs at walking speed, reduces chemicals that cause stress/anxiety/depression. It also only seems to work in a very natural environment, indoors, manicured walking tracks or city streets don't have the same impact, but it can be simulated with monitors / VR. So perhaps VR nature walking on a treadmill would be a panacea for many mental issues brought on by modern stress.
FrustratedMonky 3y ago
I didn't pick up any 'obnoxiousness' from this article in particular. Running just pops up like this because it is cheap, can be done anywhere, anytime, don't need a lot of skill training. It's basically the common denominator. Simple. Just get up and do something sport.
atoav 3y ago
My whole family runs (including sub 3h marathons) and not a single one of them writes online about running. As far as I can tell they are not self-important, they just run. I also run, and compared to the rest of the family even more under the radar: I do no contests ever, I run alone, I run at night. If I ever speak to someone about it, it is because they asked or because it was the topic of the conversation before I entered it. Running is my thing that I do for myself, the rest doesn't give me anything. It is a good habit, a free time and helps me to release stress (which is mostly mental in my job). So maybe your question could be rephrased: "Why are the posts I read from people who post online about running so obnoxiously self-important about it?" As I don't believe runners are any more annoying than e.g. ice skaters I could think of one rhing. Like with noises the things we find annoying might also have to do with ourselves. A friend of mine is constantly complaining about how "obnoxiously self-important" vegans are. He loves meat, but as a somewhat rational person he knows he is wrong. When I ask him where those vegans are and what they do he can't point to any specific thing. You could sit a vegan on the same table as him and even if the vegan says nothing and minds their own business he would feel they are "self-important" — all while he would be the guy to start speaking about it. I am not implying that a similar mechanism is at play in your case at all, I don't know you. But it is something to be aware of. If you e.g. are someone who feels they should run more, but never get around to it for one reason or another, that might color your perception of people who do write about it.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
voisin 3y ago
People seem to confuse passion for being obnoxiously self-important. You get the same comment about vegans, cross-fitters, runners, skiers, sailors, sourdough bakers, etc etc etc. anytime someone has a hobby they are passionate about doesn’t mean they are obnoxiously self-important. They are happy and want others to find the same happiness!

by pavlov 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

EatingWithForks 3y ago

I definitely see this kind of nonsense from lifting, high intensity interval training, bodyweight exercises, rock climbing, cycling... I think when people get very passionate about something that was lifechangingly important to them, then its very easy to forget other people don't share that experience. It's probably better to generalize to have some level of daily activity that works for you. But then it's kind of boring, and everyone already knows this.

jcfariadias 3y ago
Yes, run is boring to me and probably to a lot of people. That's why I do things that are less boring and varied, like crossfit or other HIIT. It works for me. And still demotivation and excuses keep poping up for me to don't do it. That exactly the point of the article. Sports, even if it's just a mile run everyday, do probably more for you than just sitting around and finding excuses to do nothing. Because it's easier and people often tend to sit on their comfort zones. Also, to me, that's what lifechanging about daily sporting activities. Is NOT only getting fitter, thiner, etc. It's the mental empowerement that it provides you.

burnished 3y ago

Ok, lets reframe this just a touch, everyone who runs treats it as an important activity with powerful impacts on their lives, maybe its worth checking out? Like seriously - try answering your own question. Why would people behave that way?

ar_lan 3y ago

> You don’t see this kind of oblivious nonsense from someone who likes powerlifting But you do. You see this with essentially every type of exercise modality. * Powerlifters say cardio is of the devil and anybody who does it is actively losing all muscle in their body. * CrossFitters will leap at every opportunity to tell you how amazing it is - or at least that was the case a decade ago. * Brazilian Jiu Jitsu people are the new CrossFit. * Calisthenics people regularly act as if you can't do 20 strict ring muscle ups you really don't belong in the gym. * Bicyclists will say runners are shit because they are destroying their legs one step at a time. * Rowers will scoff at bicyclists because they have chicken arms. * Runners will laugh at everyone because they are the only discipline that you can truly do anywhere without equipment. Idk. The list goes on and on. Every athlete is like this. It's just a tribal mentality thing. We see it on HN with programming languages too.

beebmam 3y ago
There are also contrarians who just like to go against the grain, no matter what it is. Can you point out some of the flaws with your argument?
- ar_lan 3y ago
  Indeed, there are folks who seem to seek out a problem in everything they read - usually to present themselves as smarter than the OP. > Can you point out some of the flaws with your argument? I think the only argument against what I said that is reasonable, but also applies to the person I responded to, would be that it is an over-generalization and not the case for the overwhelming majority of people who perform some activity.

tl 3y ago

His reasoning is fairly straightforward. From the article: > I have found that running every day, consistently, vastly improves my mental and physical well-being. > Every minute you run is your minute, and no one else's. And it feels good to allocate time to yourself every day. I do not find this article's tone obnoxious, but I do know people like that who run. See also, powerlifters. See also, artists. I don't know any obnoxious itamae but I don't know any itamae. I know home cooks who look down on people who eat out a lot. Does that count?

hattmall 3y ago

I don't really walk or run. But I actually think that walking, through nature is generally the center of the mental universe. Or at least the thing that can create chemical homeostasis in the brain. Everything about humans from an evolutionary standpoint is improved towards walking through a forest type environment. There is some research that shows lateral movements in the periphery of the eye, such as what occurs at walking speed, reduces chemicals that cause stress/anxiety/depression. It also only seems to work in a very natural environment, indoors, manicured walking tracks or city streets don't have the same impact, but it can be simulated with monitors / VR. So perhaps VR nature walking on a treadmill would be a panacea for many mental issues brought on by modern stress.

FrustratedMonky 3y ago

I didn't pick up any 'obnoxiousness' from this article in particular. Running just pops up like this because it is cheap, can be done anywhere, anytime, don't need a lot of skill training. It's basically the common denominator. Simple. Just get up and do something sport.

atoav 3y ago

My whole family runs (including sub 3h marathons) and not a single one of them writes online about running. As far as I can tell they are not self-important, they just run. I also run, and compared to the rest of the family even more under the radar: I do no contests ever, I run alone, I run at night. If I ever speak to someone about it, it is because they asked or because it was the topic of the conversation before I entered it. Running is my thing that I do for myself, the rest doesn't give me anything. It is a good habit, a free time and helps me to release stress (which is mostly mental in my job). So maybe your question could be rephrased: "Why are the posts I read from people who post online about running so obnoxiously self-important about it?" As I don't believe runners are any more annoying than e.g. ice skaters I could think of one rhing. Like with noises the things we find annoying might also have to do with ourselves. A friend of mine is constantly complaining about how "obnoxiously self-important" vegans are. He loves meat, but as a somewhat rational person he knows he is wrong. When I ask him where those vegans are and what they do he can't point to any specific thing. You could sit a vegan on the same table as him and even if the vegan says nothing and minds their own business he would feel they are "self-important" — all while he would be the guy to start speaking about it. I am not implying that a similar mechanism is at play in your case at all, I don't know you. But it is something to be aware of. If you e.g. are someone who feels they should run more, but never get around to it for one reason or another, that might color your perception of people who do write about it.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

voisin 3y ago

People seem to confuse passion for being obnoxiously self-important. You get the same comment about vegans, cross-fitters, runners, skiers, sailors, sourdough bakers, etc etc etc. anytime someone has a hobby they are passionate about doesn’t mean they are obnoxiously self-important. They are happy and want others to find the same happiness!