Running stories are a bit like fish stories (even though I am vegetarian)

[Madhu]

Hi all,

Check out this article pages 22-23 on my brother Dr. Kishor Avasarala who is a pediatric cardiologist and who claims to be an ultra runner!
http://www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/about/documents/handprints.spring06.pdf

In here he cheerfully lies about running 60 marathons (more likely 20 maybe 30 but who's counting) and claiming to run the Quicksilver Ultra every year (OK so he ran one year with me but again who is counting). He paced me once at the AR50 miler and ran the last 30K and if I am not around freely admits that he ran the event (yes he did run the event but not the whole distance!).
Runners are indeed apt to embellish (read lie, exaggerate) their accomplishments. My friend would always round up the distance and round down the time. He used to say it was a runners license (like the poetic license). The conditions of a run always are harder than they actually are, if your timing was bad of course you were just recovering from an illness or injury or god forbid, running while still sick. The mileage per week gets exaggerated, condition after run gets exaggerated (oh, yeah, I feel great, could have easily run a lot faster or longer).

Where does this spring from? My brother is a very sober honest competent doctor with very high integrity. Yet he will cheerfully lie through his teeth when it comes to running.

Am I susceptible to this syndrome too? Hmm, I wonder now...Are any of you like this? Come on now, be honest!

Madhu

[N S Muthukumaran]

We (read I) occasionally round off some kms!
Regards
Muthu

[Bobby Kunnath]

Great insights into the darker secrets of runners Madhu!

While I would never once admit to exaggerating my accomplishments, I seem to be running faster times as I age...with minimal increases in mileage!!

I blame my poor memory for a lot of this of course!

I really believe this happens more as a macho thing than anything else..I can hardly imagine women lying or pretending to be faster than they are. Every man standing around with his buddies, especially running buddies, wants to appear stud-like in his accomplishments.

If I were to believe all my friends injuries, illnesses and other ailments, I would be concerned that they are even running! Until the kick my a** when the gun goes off!

bk

[Satsang Randhelia]

hmmm.....

i too confess committing this sin at times in the form of equating my best performance to my usual one and bragging about it. I remember telling a friend not too long ago "I usually run 40kms on a weekend and add another 25 for the weekdays" - having done so only ones!!

Donno if it is in quest for machoism typical to the male species or is it a common human phenomena to  exaggerate ones achievements!!

Ladies in the grp - any comments?


Cheers!
Satsang

--
Cheers!
Satsang

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go"  - TS Eliot

[Nischal]

Bobby, you knoweth not much of the fairer sex. My tales stand way taller than I do :-)

[Bobby Kunnath]

Really? Do entertain us all with a few of your enhanced exploits!!

bk

[Ram Sellaratnam]