Is it necessary to spit when running

[Allbymyselfagain]

Just that really. Did my usual parkrun this morning. On for a good time, hopefully a PB then the bloke in front did a long, phlegmy spit in front of me. I'm not good with bodily fluids, sick etc and when I see someone doing it I have an involuntary reaction where I need to vomit. Spent the last 2k dry heaving and deep breathing.

Am I being precious, is this what runners or indeed any exercisers do?

[FunkyPeacock]

Depends if you have a problem with excess phlegm I suppose

I certainly never spit when running but have no need to either

I agree that it is rather a grim thing to do while other people are close by but I imagine having a mouthful of phlegm is probably fairly grim too!

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

There is never a need to spit mingers.

Am standing next to a bloke gobbing every few seconds as I type this

[RJnomaaaaaargh]

Well

I never spit but when I run for longer than ten minutes I get a lot of phlegm in my mouth which is difficult to deal with.

As I said I never spit so the one time I did try to get rid of it I spat on my shirt by mistake so I just have to deal with it but if you are actually able to get it out I imagine it must be a relief?

[Allbymyselfagain]

I know it can't be nice running with all that in your mouth/throat but when I have a cold I take tissues. Cough up/blow nose into a tissue then throw it away. We run on a busy pathway so lots of people walk their dogs/take children on bikes etc down there. I guess I do just have a problem with spitting anyway.

Just got my time text 20s off a PB which I would have smashed if I hadn't had to keep stopping to settle my stomach. Not happy!

[MrPorky]

You don't see it often, e.g. in a race of hundreds you might see one or two spitting, so I guess it can't be necessary, or not for everyone anyway.

At my club there is one woman who spits a lot. She always apologises, but it's still horrible. I never feel the need, but is that because my body works differently?

[HeySoulSister]

Don't try marathons if you don't like bodily fluids!

I guess the running motion dislodges alsorts in our bodies. However you are right, there is no need to be so public with it all. Horrible

Sorry about your PB op.

[suzannecaravaggio]

my nose runs when I run
I always have a hanky
I'd never just gob on the ground in public

[trixymalixy]

Very occasionally when I run I get a build up of phlegm. I absolutely detest people spitting so I never spit it out, but I can see why people do spit as I feel like I'm going to choke.

[Allbymyselfagain]

Thanks soulsister today didnt actually feel like a great run whilst I was doing it so I was surprised when I looked at my watch and though oh crap PB time, then I sped up! I am signed up to a few marathons next year but they are lap runs so there will be toilets at the end of each lap. They are quite respectful races so hopefully no bodily fluids!

Ok so general feeling is it's not nice but for some people it might be unavoidable. I guess I'll just have to try and beat this bloke next time so I don't have to see it.

[megletthesecond]

I don't think so.

Some bloke at our parkrun got hauled over the coals for spitting and hitting a volunteer .

[BrandNewAndImproved]

I get loads of saliva while running outside if it's cold but never phlegm. (I hate that word) I do discreetly spit it out but then I run on a cycle track and common nearby not in a park.

[MrsMook]

If I'm struggling later in a long run when at the back end of a cold, I'll occasionally do it into a bush at the sides. It is gross, and I only do it when I can no longer cope with swallowing.

Don't go to China. There's gobbling everywhere, even into the aisles of buses. Bork.

[VulcanWoman]

Disgusting, if necessary in the gutter or at the side, why in the middle of the path where everyone else is walking.

[Saz12]

Grim. It's a filthy, disgusting habit. I have a blood-vessel disorder, and will get bleeds in my throat, nose, etc; I'd never consider spitting my blood-streaked gobbers out around other people...is easy to just use a tissue!

[KeyserSophie]

No, but I do frequently need to do a one nostril nose blow into the bushes. I wait until there's no-one watching though.

HK used to be really bad for hawking but they did a huge public awareness campaign during SARS and it's much less common now.

[Thefitfatty]

I run 5 days a week and have never had an excess of phlegm. And I react the same as you to body fluids so thankfully no one near me has either!

[Vonnegut]

I guess I'm the exception then. I spit quite a lot when I'm running. There you go. I feel quite bad about being called manky, filthy or disgusting - as I've never considered myself that way, but it is what it is. Incidentally, it's not phlegm or greeners or something that I've hawked up from my throat that I'm spitting out - it's just saliva. Lots and lots of excess saliva that is a by-product of running in cool fresh air. There's no noise or performance to it. I don't run on public streets though or do races or run in a group, so I'm relatively confident that my offensive actions are not frightening the birds or rabbits in the vicinity of my runs.

When I have a cold, I blow my nose into a handkerchief the same as everyone else. I don't run.

[Kingfisherfree]

Yes me too Vonnegut. I didn't realise it was so disgusting! I am fairly discreet tho.

[confusedandemployed]

I regularly need to spit when running. Always do it into bushes with no witnesses. Gobbing in public is minging but I couldn't finish a run without ridding myself of my excess phlegm.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Dh spits a lot. I don't find I need to, although my nose runs a lot!