Men vs. Women – running conversations

Up to this point, when I went for a run with someone else, not much thought is given to whether they are male or female. They were someone that wanted to run with me and that was enough or at least I thought it was.

That was until yesterday when I ran with Megan and Val. We had a conversation somewhat related to this topic which afterward left me wondering.

Did I treat runs with just women or included women (since being a guy, it would never be an all women run.) and men differently than runs with just men?

Well, let's see.

If I had been running with Ben and Dan yesterday, what would be our topic of conversations? We would have probably talked about Ben's Cross Country team. Maybe how his class is doing with the iPods'. Maybe we would have discussed his Team's upcoming meet next week. We would have definitely talked about Dan's move back to Charlotte and probably his new job. And, I am just throwing out the things that I can think about off the top of my head.

Would this have been any different running with Megan and Val? To some extent, the answer is yes and no. There were some topics that potentially would have overlapped - Ben's team's meet next week, Val's i.e. Dan's move back to Charlotte but there would be things that would be different. Like Megan and Val discussing Ultra distance running. Although, this isn't necessary a man vs. women thing as much as it is they have different interest than their husbands.

Honestly, how I view other runners - male or female depends a lot on how well I know them. For example, when I meet someone new, there is a "more of a get to know you period".

People like to learn about each other but we talk general terms – where they are from? What do they do? Where they went to school? How much they run – so on and so forth?

Where, with people that I know the conversations are much more specific. We are more likely to talk about their job assignments, their kid's activities, events happening their lives, pets, upcoming races, etc.

Although, I do have to admit one thing; I am not a huge talker and never have been. I tend to be a much better listener. Listening – really listening – is the only way to get to know someone.

In end, I guess I do have different conversations depending on who runs with me. But I like to let their interest drive the conversations and just listen.

 

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner