Marathon running is a popular hobby for many Americans. According to Run Repeat, at least 432,562 adults in the U.S. were participants in a marathon in 2024. While that’s not a big part of the population, it’s still a way for many people to challenge themselves.
Marathon enthusiasts often get praised for their efforts, but this boyfriend looked down on his girlfriend and said she was doing it “for attention.” Combined with other red flags, this kind of rhetoric got the woman thinking about whether she should stay with such a man. So, she asked for advice online about whether her hunch was right.
A finance bro BF insulted his GF for spending too much time training for marathons when he should be hustling instead
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
His worldview clashed with the woman’s healthy lifestyle, so, she started rethinking the relationship
Image credits: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Gustavo Fring / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Miriam Alonso / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Ur_a_lemon
Hustle culture has negative effects on a person’s well-being
Dedication to work is admirable. But even too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad for us. Focusing too much on work leads us to neglect our relationships, physical health, and sometimes even our values.
This culture of hustling every minute of every day is simply not healthy. As career and leadership coach Phoebe Gavin told Bored Panda in a previous interview, hustling can become toxic quite quickly.
Those who work because they have to and not because they enjoy it can quickly burn out. “They feel as if that is the only way that they can achieve their goals,” Gavin explained back then. “And in those situations, they give up a lot of other aspects of their lives to make that happen.”
The boyfriend’s attitude that having hobbies and focusing on one’s physical health is a waste of time reflects his mindset, which has probably been eroded by the toxic hustle culture. Gavin also notes that men are more often in the position to be able to dedicate more time to their work, as many of the household duties are relegated to the women in the couple.
“Systematically, that is more likely to be an arrangement between a man who is hustling and a woman who is making up for all of the other gaps in his life so that he can dump everything into his career,” Gavin pointed out.
While the boyfriend’s problem in this situation is more with the girlfriend’s “useless” hobbies, this argument may not be as relevant. Still, the woman mentioned that she does the bigger portion of the housework while the guy only does some.
Running marathons is great for your mental and physical well-being, and even for your soul
Running a marathon is no small feat. It’s a testament to a person’s level of fitness, strong will, and possibly a strong set of values. Certified personal trainer Christine Luff, ACE-CPT, writes for VeryWell Fit that training for and running marathons benefits our bodies, minds, and even our egos.
- Physical exercise. Doctors say that any amount of movement is good for us, but regular running also strengthens the heart, keeps blood pressure and cholesterol at healthy levels, and improves the immune system. Those who run regularly also sleep better, increase their muscle mass, and seriously tone their legs.
- Benefits for mental health. Running counts as taking some time for yourself when you can find inspiration, solve the things that are bothering you, or just not think about anything. The challenge of the marathon also builds resilience and can even give a person a newfound sense of confidence: if they finish a marathon, there are many other things they might be able to do that they never thought possible. There are also the benefits of physical exercise for mental health; studies suggest that regular exercise can help alleviate depressive symptoms better than no therapy.
- The heart and conscience. We’re not just soulless bags of bones and meat – we need fulfillment. Doing something that aligns with our values and makes us feel needed can give us that. Many marathons have a good cause behind them: a charity, disaster relief, or some other worthwhile cause. Marathons also help us find like-minded people and new friendships or strengthen our current ones.
Thinking about other red flags, the woman started wondering: “How did I not see this before”
“Please find someone who actually likes and loves you,” the commenters urged
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