In celebration of International Sex Day this month, we share a list of 10 things that running and sex have in common. It isn't very difficult to come up with that list comparing our passion for running and the latter. So here it is, 10 more reasons to enjoy running and sex.

1. Both make for great conversation.

Is it wrong to talk about performance at a race, marathon, or while conditioning and cross-training at a gym? Of course not. Neither is there anything wrong with talking about sex to your true love—because therapists say that excellent communication does more to fuel great sex than anything else.

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2. Both can rely on speed.

Runners know that the faster they race, the sooner they finish and while it’s not an optimal way of finding pleasure when one makes love, racing to a climax offers some sweet benefits. In both cases, finishing fast means you can go for a second—run or climax, that is.

3. Both stoke the appetite.

Yummy treats after a great run or after great sex are icing on the cake. There’s both a restorative power in post-race nutrition and the sharing aspect of using one spoon to share a post-coital ice cream sundae that couldn't be any more intimate.

4. Both make you feel sexy.

Feeling a breeze caress your body when you run can be as delicious as the breeze that cools you when you’ve finished making love. Feeling sexy may be promoted as the result of wearing sexy lingerie, but in fact, it’s your mind that makes you feel sexy—no matter what you're wearing.

5. Both offer victories.

Finishing a race is gratifying and if you medal, that’s even better. Similarly, when a couple achieves milestones like climaxing together and realising that their love has grown as a direct result of baring their souls and bodies to each other, there can be no sweeter shared victory.

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6. Both make you feel young.

When you pass a runner who’s obviously older, can you tell by the blissful expression on his face that he’s feeling healthy and youthful? Conversely, few physical contacts make people of any age feel as young as when they engage in a sexual liaison with someone they adore.

7. Both can help you set personal bests.

Have you heard that having sex the night before a race is a bad thing? Not so. A survey conducted of 2,000 runners at the Flora London Marathons revealed this astonishing truth: Runners who had sex the night before ran faster than those who abstained. Talk about personal bests!

8. Both improve your technique.

Can running make you a better lover? Of course. The focus on your body, technique and the feelings you acquire when running are exactly the sorts of experiential emotions one feels when engaging in great sex because you learn to become acutely aware of what your partner needs and wants.

9. Both are mutually beneficial.

At the University of California, a test group ran regularly, thinking doctors were looking for lifestyle changes, but improvements in their sex lives were actually being evaluated. Those who took up running had 30-percent more sex than before and 26-percent more orgasms. Who can argue with such results?

10. Both are performance enhancers when combined.

Men over the age of 50 who add vigorous runs to their schedules found that the risk of suffering erectile dysfunction (ED) dropped by 30-percent. The study, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine, could convince an entire generation of men fearful of ED to take up running!

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Conclusion

Do any of the things that we mentioned fit in your list? Now it's your turn to tell us what are the things that sex and running have in common. The one with the most creative comment might just win a "long night marathon".