Addicted to Running?

Runner's World online mentioned something about running addiction today in one of their forums. I found this kind of interesting and found a test to take to check to see if you are addicted to running. Believe it or not, I only scored 62 points "Fitness with a mellow bent". I thought maybe I made a mistake so took the test again and scored 75 points which is still "Fitness with a mellow bent." Maybe I am in denial? Should there be an intervention? Maybe I should attend an RA meeting? "Hello, my name is Andy and I'm a Runaholic."

An addiction self-test

Where addiction to running stands in your life

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, weight each of the following statements as they apply to you and your running. Then total your numbers and check the interpretations at the end of the test. Fill out the test in pencil, or make photocopies so you can retake it periodically.

• ___Running is extremely important to me. I'm positive I'll be running for the rest of my life.
• ___A day without a run is a day without sunshine.
• ___If it becomes
  downright impossible to get my workout in today, I can always double up tomorrow.
• ___Until I get my workout in, I'm a real bear Ä as in unbearable.
• ___A little pain indicates there's serious progress being made.
• ___If two aspirin/ibuprofen are good, four are twice as good.
• ___Warm-up and cool-down are important, but it's what comes in the middle of a workout that counts.
• ___As far as running goes, more is always better.
• ___A string of running days must remain unbroken.
• ___Quality without quantity is impossible.
• ___Of course I know how many miles I ran last month_
• ___Unless you've run a marathon, you're not a real runner.
• ___The more marathons you've run, the more serious a runner you are.
• ___Rest is for the weary, not for the strong.
• ___Discomfort exists to run through, not to be an insurmountable barrier.
• ___All my friends are runners, and I wouldn't consider befriending a nonrunner.
• ___Many running-related pains can be gotten rid of by running through them.
• ___If a shirt doesn't boast a race logo, it isn't one I want to wear.
• ___It exhibits their inbred weakness if people don't want to hear my step-by-step re-creations of races I've run.
• ___If I have a piddling injury and a sports medicine expert says I shouldn't run, it's obviously time for a second (or third) opinion.

Where does your total fall?

• 161-200: Running addiction personified. Get help quickly.
• 121-160: Leaning toward running addiction; beware.
• 81-120: Neutral.
• 41-80: Fitness with a mellow bent.
• 20-40: Approaching terminal mellow; better sign up for a race.

Richard Benyo is editor of a new running publication, Marathon & Beyond, which debuts in January as a bimonthly published by Human Kinetics . Benyo has written 15 books on fitness, health, and sports, including Masters of the Marathon (Atheneum, 1983) and Making the Marathon Your Event (Random House, 1992). He has served as executive editor of Runner's World (1977-84) and is the veteran of 37 marathons. In 1989, he and running partner Tom Crawford became the first athletes ever to run in midsummer from Badwater in California's Death Valley to the peak of Mt. Whitney and back, a distance of 300 miles. He claims to be a recovering exercise addict.

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Complete Article-Running Addiction

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