Get the urge

When out on a run and you spot a fellow runner ahead does anyone else get the urge to catch up with said runner and pass them even if they are faster than you?

 I unfortunately had did last night. Spoted him with about 1.5 to go of my 5 mile route. Took a while to catch up but with about 3/4 mile to go I did it. All pleased with myself until I realised I'd have to keep this pace up. Didn't feel I could slow down as I would have felt like a mug if he then passed me. Almost killed me.

On the plus side though it was the fastest 5miles I'd ever run.

Had to laugh when this happened to me on my bike. A couple of cyclists overtook me, having obviously chased me down. Unfortunately, by the time they caught me up, they were blowing hard and I was able to tuck on the back and freewheel ostentatiously in their slipstream for a mile or two.

Unfortunately, they eventually decided to lose me by running a red light, which was fairly dumb, especially as I was turning left at that junction whereas they were going straight on...

Erm not wanting to me sexist here  but i find that if i overtake a male runner, they always always then overtake me a few minutes later - like they cant stand a woman running faster than them.

may i just clarify that i am not exactly Paula radcliffe so any bloke i overtake tends to be of the newbie or slower variety... but still they put on a spurt and overtake me.  on Sunday this happened about 6 times with the same runner who had to keep stopping dead after he had overtaken me to get his breath back, at which point i then overtook him and so the whole thing went on!

Mrs m you should be ashamed of yourself thats a very sexiest thing to say but its a fair point and well made. I think I would try and overtake you if you'd overtaken me but unlike the bloke I'd probably have given up after the 2nd time and let you get on with it.

I find that the chaps are (generally) more competitive.

I run with a man who cannot keep up with me the whole way round our run.  The other night he got LOST because he was so far behind, and I had to go back for him.

However, when the club hoves into view he manages to summon up enough speed to ensure that he gets there before me!

I don't feel the need to overtake other runners but i do feel the need to speed up if i see another runner, then i slow down again when they're out of sight and catch my breath

Mrs W

Mrs W - I do that as well. I also try not to look out of breath so they think I must be really fit but I think the red face might give me away a bit

A similar thing happened last night. There was a female runner (not that the sex matters) who was around 400-500 metres ahead down the road as my running partner (female) and I were on a quick pace run. I said to my partner as we were running that I always felt a little embarrassed passing someone (which we did), conversely at the end she felt it gave her confidence in catching and passing someone!!

On another morning as we began a slower run a man came past us at a decent speed saying "Morning" as he did so, well I yelled out the words "F*ck me!!" as he scared me shitless!!

I dont suppose it matters.

Depends how fast they are.

If I can overtake them, I will - not for the satisfaction of it, just because I'm running faster than them naturally.

If they're miles faster than me, I won't bother and will just watch them fade away into a little dot.

If they're on par with me speed wise, I'll go for it. As you said in your original post, can give you a really good workout!

Not really in training. I'll sometimes tag onto somebody if they are only running slighty faster an then share the laod as it were to helop us both run faster.

 In a race then obviously. Gender doesn't matter. I had this experience with a lady in a race on Tuesday. I tend to find that ladies are much better at even pace whereas I struggle uphill and let fly downhill.

 So this lady and I had swapped places a few times, went past her downhill and then she got me uphill. The last 1.5 miles were downhill or flat and I set out in pursuit. She had a good pace by then but finally caught her about 1/2 of a mile from the line. She did try and stay with me (quite successfully ) for a while but in the last 1/4 mile I kicked on.

 Waited for her at the end of the funnel and shook hands. Do the same with the guys though and wouldn't have worried me if she had beaten me. So long as the better runner wins ... 

No, I run against time, not against other people.

I have no qualms about being overtaken in a race, so I don't feel any level of competition out running.

Other runners tend to be running the other way, am I going the wrong way!

I've only done it once when I was out running with my bother. We had just ran up this really big hill (really big, it goes up in steps so it's really like three). So we were having a bit of a jog to get over it. When this chap runs past looking very strong and says 'Good evening'. I say Hello but my bother looks gutted his and is quite upset this chap has past him. He says 'I'm having him' and is off. This was on mile 3 of my 5 mile run. Que me trying to running try to chase down me bother because I didn't want to be running alone. I did see the nice chap again. I did chase down my bother but only 100m from the end of the run.

Don't really care if people overtake me when I'm out running, they do it in races so why not training runs?

When we were out on Tuesday we (me and two male running friends) were catching up to a couple of blokes, they only realised when we were about 20 meters behind them, and picked up the pace. Considering we hadn't sped up to catch them, they were going to burn out at some point. Lo and behold, a bit further up the path they stopped and pretended to be looking at the scenery (whilst gasping for breath)

Also had a woman spot me behind her, again I was catching up to her. I was about 2 miles into a 20-mile run so wasn't speeding up for anyone. Once she spotted me she picked up the pace, and kept looking back to see if I was still there. She then disappeared into a house after about half a mile of running away.

I've been the overtaker and the overtakee on runs and in races, there's always someone both faster and slower than you.

I sometimes try to race cars crawling along in rush hour if that counts?

I tend to find other runners are going in the opposite direction.

I did have a lady during the GSR where we kept overtaking eachother so in the end I thought stuff it and trailed her which helped me keep and even pace

Never really thought about it but the route I do is a loop and I go anti-clockwise as well. Are we breaking some sort of running unspoken running rule?

I def find anti clockwise more natural, dunno why.

 I'll sometimes speed up if i see other runners, but this tends to be if I'm coming the the end of the run or a rep, thus I pass them and then stop (usually panting if i've just sped up) now I'm thinking they probably think i sprinted cos of them and then couldn't hack the pace!

You mean there are other people who run, I always supposed they magically appeared at the club and races, can only have seen half a dozen people running -when by myself-  in 3 years of running.

That said I do try and hunt down every single walker and cyclist I see, doesn't matter how far away or fast they are going I'll give it a go.

What is a running unspoken running rule?

Is it anything like a repetition unspoken repetition rule?

I'm always going 'the wrong way' too Always up the stretch out of my house when everyone else seems to be going down it!