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I recently spent a girls runcation in Phoenix, Arizona with some of my Oiselle teammates. It was incredibly fun getting the opportunity to enjoy beautiful weather, delicious food, and racing with this group of amazing women. We had a lot of silly and heartfelt conversations. Many of us found ourselves in varied stages of relationships. Some were married, some newly single, some actively dating. Despite the differences there was a commonality of online dating. I mean really, you can’t throw a rock anymore without hitting someone that has tried online dating. And what’s a group of runners to do but compare our online dating experiences to those of the activity we hold near and dear, running.
Here are a few similarities we found:
A Lot Of Work For A Bagel
With online dating, if you make it past the arduous vetting process of messaging, chatting, and phone calls you eventually get to enjoy a meal. Racing is no different. After weeks of dedicating yourself to strenuous training and eventual racing, runners are rewarded with post-race grub that ranges from bananas and bagels to grilled hamburgers. Just like dating, the quality of the food depends on how cheap the race is.
Exaggerations Are To Be Expected
Most runners have experienced the course that was described on the website as “gentle rolling hills”. However, once out on the course it’s painfully obvious that the elevation gain is much more then gentle. Similarly, there’s a reason the term ‘catfish’ exist in online dating. Sometimes a profile picture may be a few [several] years old. Or weight and height are general estimates rather than accurate measurements. Either way, a good old fashioned Google search of potential dates and review of those race elevation maps can go a long way.
Going Out Too Fast Spells Disaster
Look, we’ve all been there. A race starts, adrenaline is pumping, you get caught up in the current of the other runners and find yourself running way faster than you know you should. The same happens with dating when you’re eager and come on way too strong. Pacing yourself can be just as important in racing as it is in dating.
Lube Is Your Friend
Things can quickly get hot and sweaty. There’s no shame in acknowledging that lubrication can make many situations more pleasant.
All The Feels
Somehow, someway racing and online dating can cause you to experience a wide range of feelings. Nervousness, nausea, gastrointestinal distress, butterflies, exhaustion, and exhilaration have been known to occur in a single race… and a single date.
Do you race? Do you date online? What are similarities you’ve noticed between the two?
