- The person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep him/her going;
- If the person does not get more of the substance or behavior, (s)he becomes irritable and miserable.
1) Symptom 1 – Behavior and lifestyle changes
When you get addicted to running, one of the first telling signs is that your behavior changes. You start looking for the next run, have your full year of runs already mapped out or book two runs in one day. You’re cross training, doing fartlek workouts, purposefully run routes with hills and you actually USE your gym membership. You hide trips to the running store or purchase $20 pairs of socks online and have them shipped to work. You have four pair of the same shoe in various stages of wear that you have to number so you can tell them apart and track their mileage accordingly. When you do laundry, 85% of it is running clothes, and of those, 95% are fluorescent colors. You start waking up earlier to get a run in before work and will pace the neighborhood at night in your pajamas if you haven’t reached goal on your Nike Fuelband just to keep your streak going. You are experienced at applying KT tape, discuss all symptoms with your doctor or chiropractor as they relate to or affect your running, and have a Costco sized bottle of ibuprofen, ice packs with straps, a heating pad and a foam roller readily available at all times. You carefully read the nutrition label of every item you put in your shopping cart, but then consume packets of jam like goo with wild abandon during a race.
2) Symptom 2 – Neglected work and other hobbies
Another symptom of running addiction is that work becomes neglected. And while your lunch hours might be slightly longer to afford that extra mile and a shower, you don’t necessarily sabotage the work that earns you money to pay for race entries or new shoes. However, you have also been known to take a day off to do a race or recover from one. But I’m talking about the other work, the housework, the yard work, and possibly even the other hobbies in which you once partook. Essentially, the dust has taken over the house, the weeds have taken over the yard and now all you watch for viewing pleasure are exercise videos on YouTube on how to strengthen your core and glutes. Your last crafting project was to make a tulle skirt for an upcoming race, a cape for the superhero themed fun-run or a collage of your race bibs on canvas, calling it art. Projects to organize the garage or install the shelving in the closet are still on the “honey do” list and you can’t imagine why your buddies from work would rather golf on the course than run it.
3) Symptom 3 – Family and friends are affected
It wouldn’t be so bad if only you were involved, but your running can change the lives of those around you in one of two ways. You either neglect/annoy them or you drag them down with you. Let’s address the first of these two problems. When you’re addicted to running, you plan your entire social schedule around training and races. You use vacations as opportunities to run in different locations rather than to see loved ones, or you check if there are any organized runs in the area when you’re supposed to be there for a wedding. You drag your spouse out of bed early on a holiday morning so you can do packet pick-up before the race, but that now means he has to stand in subfreezing temperatures for the next hour while you run around a mall parking lot or a park. You are more up to date with the lives of professional runners via Facebook than you are your own friends, who probably have long since unfollowed you to avoid yet another running eBib that they just don’t get. Or the other extreme can happen, as running is one addiction that can be contagious, and they are now out there with you. This is the best outcome for all parties involved, just get them hooked, then you can see them regularly during training runs or races and no one feels unloved.
4) Symptom 4 – Unable to quit
As indicative of any addiction, you are unable to quit “at any time.” Injuries barely sideline you. Inclement weather no longer fazes you. If you go too long without a run you get moody, feel terrible and are awash in guilt. Rest day becomes a dirty word. You see runners on the road and get jealous that it’s them and not you running. You can envision no other options as an alternative for you. Granted, you might add on some swimming and biking and call it a Tri; but for you, you live for the running. It has taken over your closets, your shoe racks, your Facebook pages, your free time and maybe, if the world is a just place, your family.
Consequences can be minimal or they can cause rifts in relationships and deep holes in pocketbooks. On the minimal end of the spectrum, you’re left with an active lifestyle, a sense of community and accomplishment, usually a basket full of tech shirts and some medals. No harm, no foul. But if you are unfortunate, then you’re left with family who shake their heads at you as you march out the door dressed as a pilgrim early on Thanksgiving morning to do a “Turkey Trot.” You feed your addiction with races costing $35-$85 depending on distance, and shoes that cost about twice that. You spend $300+ on a reflective coat and half to the same on a running watch. You have more tech on you to record your race time, elevation and location than most cars do. Somewhere in between the two extremes is a happy medium. You’ll put some wear and tear on your body, have a collection of spent glow bracelets, more safety pins than you’ll ever use, learn that colored corn powder can get about anywhere, and meet some great new friends.
All told, running is an addiction I can live with and I’m fortunate enough to have a family who supports me, friends who run and/or understand me, and lots of closet space (which is rapidly running out).
(Disclaimer – You may or may not experience any or all of these symptoms or consequences. Some of these are factual to my own personal experience, but not all. Sadly, I just don’t have $300 for a reflective coat, but those sure are cool.)
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