Facebook

What can I say about my recent running? heat, humidity, lots of missed days due to work, deer flies, tapering... not too interesting. So instead I'm going to talk about Facebook.

Facebook bugs a lot of us. Yet there we are, reading about other people's fascinating lives, intense training regimes, awesome race results, successful careers, expensive vacations, and exceptionally clever and cute kids. We're reading those witty one-liners and wishing we could come up one once in a while. We are looking at pictures of new cars, new hair styles, and new houses. I thought it was just me that found Facebook irritating at times (yet addictive). Then I started hearing things from friends.

At a race this Spring, a long time running acquaintance who has been doing Ultras for many years stated, "Facebook makes me sick. All these new Ultra runners are so darned enthusiastic. It makes me jealous that I don't have that anymore." At that same race another running friend nudged me and nodded to another woman runner saying, "she is so full of herself on Facebook." At a recent training run several people commented that I was in better shape than they thought I'd be according to my FB posts." I'd better watch what I'm posting, I might be giving the competition a confidence boost!

My sister recently lamented, "I wish I could come up with just one witty remark for FB, but I sit there with my fingers on the keys and I've got nothing." Another running friend half-jokingly (those "half" jokes really aren't jokes) accused me of bragging on Facebook. I'm not sure which post it was that offended her, but I'm a newly wed in love and enjoying life so I'm always gushing about something on FB. I'll try to tone it down a little.

My own peave is all the training everyone else is doing. They run and run and run. And boy, do they race! One or two races every single weekend. Am I a slacker? I never knew I was. I've always done fine at races and always felt as fit as anyone else. Little did I know that I was only half as well trained as everyone else, even the walkers at the back of the pack are training more than me. Thanks a lot Facebook, for showing me how lazy and out of shape I am! I find myself hitting the "hide" button on many running friends because I don't want to know how much more disciplined and focused they are than me.

I can't quite kick the Facebook habit now that I've started. I'm not looking at it very often any more and not posting as much as I used to. But if I ever come up with a witty one-liner you can be sure it will be there for all my Facebook friends to see!