So, I was at training and there was a group of us women who were running along a trail, chit chatting to pass the time and forget about the overpowering humid heat that we were all suffocating in. As we each took our turns to lament about the heat etc. one woman said,
"Yeah, I was on my way home and needed a to get a beer for 'beer can chicken' tonight so I stopped and got a six pack, but after I got home I was thinking how cold and yummy that would be so I grabbed a couple and downed them right before practice."I am not judging, I too like an alcoholic beverage (i.e. crisp shot of vodka) on occasion, but I'm pretty sure I have not drank one, or even a couple, before I go run a few miles. If I'm going to drink I'd rather enjoy it than have to go sweat it out in the miserable heat here. I just found it interesting someone would do this BEFORE a run...not after.
For the most part I have given up alcohol while training for my marathon. Yes, I still have some on occasion, but I limit it to a glass or two and then switch to water. Being that this is the season of outdoor get togethers with friends, it has become more difficult to do. I say this because I've noticed a trend recently - whenever we get together with friends I'll usually have something non-alcoholic, no big deal, I don't give any reason...it is just what I want to drink. However, they will usually start with the "awe, come on - have a ..." or "you don't want that, I'll fix you a ..." Inevitably I'll have something else and then quietly switch back to water later when no one is paying attention.
I even had a conversation with a friend at a backyard party who said "well he stopped drinking and I'm happy for him, but I'm not on the bandwagon so I'll have another. I think he was more fun when he drank." It made me think about what she thought about me when I stopped drinking.
In this instance I am talking about drinking, but this is not limited to just drinking. What about diets? If someone starts one do we try to entice them to cheat? "Come on, I'll just cut you a small piece of cake - it won't hurt anything." I'm really no better to my friends than they are to me because I am guilty of this. Or a friend who is cutting back on spending and I call and talk them into having lunch with me because I don't want to go alone. "Come on, it's just $10 dollars, you can spare that."
So my point is, in our own ways do we hinder rather than help our friends because we don't like to be alone? I know I've been guilty of it a time or two, but it's not much fun on the other side.
Have you ever been enticed to do something you would rather not?
7 comments:
Funny! I actually run with hashers sometimes (grand old military tradition--look up Hash House Harriers in Wikipedia) and that's all about drinking while running.
I've noticed the same thing about being with friends and ordering a non-alcoholic drink. Man, people really turn on the pressure sometimes! It's so bizarre... why do they care what I drink?
I definitely have one friend in particular who totally undermines me with respect to my diet. Sometimes I give in, sometimes I don't. I'm working on getting better at sticking to my guns. For me, it's a guilt thing--it's really easy to manipulate me if you make me feel guilty.
No, not for anything where anyone is overcoming a struggle, but I have to admit, I do give my tree-hugging, PETA protesting, Vegan friend some razzing, like "hey, dude, why protest when you can just eat em and resolve the whole problem..." But he knows I am kidding and I love the guy... and believe me, he has absolutely no temptation to eat anything that used to walk around, so it's not even a real temptation for him...
J/
I know I've done it and had people do that to me in the past, and it's usually about eating. A couple years ago I started doing NutriSystem and in the first 2 weeks I lost 15 lbs, just because it was such a huge switch from the way I had been eating (i.e. veggies vs. ice cream). I came to work one day and it was like all of a sudden it was obvious that I'd lost some weight, and one of my *best* friends made a sad face at me as she "congratulated" me for sticking with it and looking better. She is someone that is ALWAYS trying to lose weight, and hadn't been having much luck at that point in time, so I know she was really feeling sorry for herself and jealous of my results.
I've felt that same way in the past, and it sucks to see someone else's success and have it remind you of your (perceived) failure, but I hope I wouldn't try to be so manipulative about it that I'd want that person to feel guilty! It really showed me that she wants me to be her Fat Friend, whether or not she realizes it, and now I'm very guarded about any type of success I share with her.
Hmm...didn't realize I was quite so bitter about the whole thing still!
I cannot turn down a dare but I know my limits..
However, I am not a big drinker and I drink a diet coke or water when out with friends. I get the run down from not drinking, but me being me, I do something funny or crazy and then tell them that the diet coke must have made me intoxicated. So, I make a joke out of it and then tell them to shut the hell up.
Thanks for the bday wishes. Love you!
I do have that issue as a 'dieter'. Even people who know that I do not eat sugar at all, offer me sweets regularly (just last night, in fact). It's kind of weird how people do that, isn't it?
yea...the dieting thing is hard, I want whatever my husband is having because I don't want to be "alone" but I can't believe she drank before running, doesn't that dehydrate you like crazy??
I am stuck on the drinking before running?? How does one do that?? Crazy.
I always try to be mindful of my friends and where they are at in their lives, because I would want them to do it to me too.
JIC- Kimmylyn
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