Dealing with jealousy and runner envy

I had a wonderful lunch today with my two best running pals. They wanted to take me out for a birthday/pre-baby lunch. I loved seeing them and catching up with them. We talked about babies and books and life and running. They are training for and running the Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS in January. It will be one's first marathon and the other's second.

As I sat there and listened to them talk about training plans and fitting long runs in and planning for the next long run, I started to get jealous and full of runner envy! Me, Miss Chatty-McChatty Pants, got all quiet and clammed up. Who was this green-eyed monster rearing it's ugly head? I was upset that I couldn't be out there training with them and sharing the miles and stories. I was upset that I wasn't going to be able to have this experience with them. I felt left out and frustrated. That then lead to feelings of embarrassment and shame. I should be 100% supportive of my friends not bratty because I can't run this race with them. I was dealing with resentment: towards them for running without me and towards this pregnancy for keeping me from something I love: running and training for big races. Ugly, ugly, ugly...

I came home, had a good cry, and meditated/prayed on it. I decided I needed to put on my big girl panties (I hate the word panties but love the saying) and GET OVER IT! No more whiny self-pity indulgences. My friends need my encouragement and support! I need my encouragement and support! So what if I can't be out there logging miles with them right now. What I CAN do is support them and be a part of their training in my own way. Some of the things that I came up with:

• Compile and text/email them motivational running quotes before their long runs
• Put together 20 miler care packages (ibuprofen packs, menthol foot cream, carb-loading cookies, etc.)
• Meet them for coffee after their long runs to be a sounding board about the grueling mileage
• Meet them at the end of the long runs to run in those last grueling miles with them.

I know I'll be back out there with them in 2012! Working on my 2012 race schedule helps me deal with my runner envy. Knowing I have some great races planned gets me excited and vamped up for postpartum recovery and training. It's my way of encouraging and supporting myself.

How do you deal with runner envy?

You know you're a runner when...

After tweeting with @Dubyawife this morning it really got me going and thinking of all the great little gems we do, see, and learn as runners. I will list several of my own and several more compiled from twitter runners. Hilarious stuff and I'm guilty of most. Please comment on my blog or tweet me with your own and I'll add them!

You know you're a runner when:

• you know how long it takes for a black toenail to grow out.
• you know how long it takes for a black toenail to fall off.
• you have painted the skin where you toenail should be.
  
• you are an expert in anti-friction creams...and not for dirty reasons.
• you think compression clothing is sexy.
• IT stands for Illotibial Band, not Information Technology
• you can hold your own with any medical talk regarding piriformis, illotibial, popliteal, meniscus, plantar fascia or medial tibial stress.
• you have a specific "race fee" fund set aside in your budget every year.
• you logged more weekly running miles on your shoes than you did on your vehicle.
• you can easily convert kilometers to miles in your head.
• breakfast is followed by 2nd breakfast and lunch is followed by 2nd lunch.
• you actively analyze the color of your pee.
• you refer to a new race distance as your "first" race at that distance (as in..I'm running my "first" marathon this year).
• your outside training motto is similar to the US Post Office "neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow...

• your nips are like fine grade sandpaper. I use them for finishing work. ~@jeffswain
• your kids' bedtime story is just about "bunions" and a blue ox, no "Paul" ~@razmataz6969
• you mistakenly put on Body Glide instead of your deoderant. ~@Jen423
  
• you look down your nose at the folk out running in cotton t-shirts. ~ @Lochrie
• you see runners when you are driving and feel compelled to shout to them that you are also a runner. ~@eobeara
• the first item on your hurricane evacuation list is a long run. :) ~@Gemini_Runner
• you find bodyglide in your purse and don't question it. ~@rshill37
• you quietly judge people taking leisurely bike rides as they pass you while you are running. ~Nicole
• snot rockets are totally acceptable during a run. ~@acokertx
  
• you get excited to see a bruised toenail (true story from last night) ~@DubyaWife
• you have more running clothes than regular clothes in the laundry pile. ~@DubyaWife
• you spend more time looking 4 run routes than other stuff when traveling 2 a new place. ~@DubyaWife
• you hear PR and you think "personal record", not "public relations" ~@DubyaWifeyou
  
• your holiday wish list includes nothing but running gear. ~@DubyaWife
• your runs take longer than your commute to work! ~@DubyaWife
• you get jealous when you're driving in your car and pass runners. ~@DubyaWife