You might be a runner if...

You might be an Ultra-Running addict if...

• You do not care about the news coming out that running 50 miles a week isn't any better for you than running 15 miles a week because....
• You actually enjoy running.
• You own at least 5 pairs of sneakers, all of which are for running (but all of which has a special purpose in your mind - e.g., trail shoes, tempo shoes, race shoes, gym shoes, etc.)
• Your ideal Friday night ends when you get your running gear together and head to bed at 11:00pm.
• You get more calls at 6am than 6pm.
• You have at least 6 water bottles, all different.
• You drink from water from a bottle at the dinner table.
• You think going 3 days without running is "a really long time".
• Its hard to justify changing, showering, and changing back for a run less than 4 miles.
• 5 miles is a 'nice and easy' distance for you.
• You get pissed when a serious life event causes you to miss a single training run.
• You are your own harshest critic.
• You friends just stopped inviting you to late-night drunk fests because they know you always have an excuse to get up early the next day.
• You try to speak modestly about running to people who are out of shape, but its just not possible.
• You feel like less of a freak because you are constantly surrounded by other freaks at races.
• You are perfectly fine spending upwards of 3 hours with someone you barely know on a long run, and may never talk to them during "normal" life.
• You walk from your condo to the elevator to get your luxury car in a heated parking garage to drive 90 minutes to a trailhead to go run for hours on muddy, dark, freezing trails.
• You feel an instant kinship to any other runner you pass by on the trail or street
• You laugh at gym dudes who have huge upper bodies but legs skinnier than yours!
• You don't consider a pair of shorts "too short" unless its basically a speedo.
• You think pasta is a food group.
• You've mentally mapped out all the public restrooms, 7-11s, and water fountains within a 10 mile radius of your typical running routes.
• The number of toenails you have on any given day is typically a fraction of the maximum.
• You get cold on a run and think 'I should have worn gloves!' even though you are wearing the shortest shorts you own.
• You have more running clothes than all of your other clothes put together.
• You still laugh a little when you see someone wade through water their first time in a race.
• You are thinking about running as you read this.
• You've started a race in the dark, run all day, and finished in the dark (and still felt bad for the people who finished when it got light again).
• You do laundry 3 times a week since you are always accumulating sweaty clothes.
• You have an entire drawer filled with race shirts and tech t's.
• You want to smack the person who says, "I wouldn't run unless I was being chased"
• You consider running a great way to tour and explore new areas on vacation.
• You figure out routes while driving
• You can't possibly even fathom how people you meet at work seriously just never work-out, at all (like ever!).
• You think its socially acceptable to go to the bathroom in the woods in public areas.
• You prefer using "the woods" to a port-a-pottie.
• Anytime you are forced to attend a family function you search for local races to participate in (I start with the Running In the USA race finder).
• You’re more concerned about how an injury will affect your running schedule than the injury itself.
• You feel on top of the world after a race.
• You think 50 degrees and overcast is an awesome weather forecast.
• You realize that there's no such thing as " running season".
• When people ask what happens if it rains during a race, you smartly tell them, "You get wet."
• You normally groan, whine, and or curse when the alarm goes off at 7 or 8 for work, but leap out of bed enthusiastically at 5am on race day!
• You picture yourself running while running.
• When you're about to give up, you think about how far you've already come. With that thought alone, it is enough to push you to the finish.
• Your day isn't complete until you've put your run in.
• You have more running clothes than regular clothes in your laundry pile.
• You do small loads of laundry often.
• The best way to celebrate your birthday is to run your age in miles or kilometers.
• You think of running as free therapy.
• You consider the phrase "its all downhill from here" a good thing.
• the pages of your calender are filled with race dates for the next 3 months (or 3 years...)
• There is no better feeling than finishing a good hard run.
• You've tried going vegan, paleo, fruitarian, no-grain-no-sugar (and other wacky) diets to improve your performance, only to resort back to eating pasta and drinking Gatorade.
• People often shake their heads when you tell them what you did over the weekend.
• You ask yourself 'why did I do this?' the last 5 miles of an ultra or marathon and 'when can I do it again' five minutes after you finish.
• A 5k is "ONLY 3.1 miles"
• If you have a shot at winning your age group, you secretly hope the weather is sub-zero and hailing since its more likely other people won't show up.
• Your non-running friends consider every race you run a "marathon".
• When you run a marathon, your friends ask 'how long was that marathon?' (DUH!)
• Part of your morning news includes reading your friends' running related blog posts.
• About half of your facebook friends you know through some form of running, and of that about 5% you actually know really well!
• You still laugh a little about the "minimalist movement".
• You still laugh a lot when you see someone in Vibrams!
• You get a sadistic sense of satisfaction when that stubborn, dead toenail that just wouldn't come off finally does.
• You know what "hashing" is.
• You tried hashing, but the trails are too easy and the runs too short.
• Your weekend runs are limited by how much time you have, not by how far you can run.
• You carry money around in a zip-loc bag so it won't get wet.
• You'd prefer not to ever run without a little spare toilet paper just in case.
• You know that "Fat-ass" runs do not necessarily involve people running who are overweight.
• You've flown home from a race without showering because you ran out of time.
• You are able to effectively shower at your car with a bottle of water and a hand towel.
• You can think of at least a dozen more things for this list!

Some from me, others from various sources (RunningInTheUSA, iRunFar, Ultra-Running books, etc.)