moogforever wrote:

 

I disagree with the person above who said "if you need an ipod to get through it you're a jogger"...maybe its because i'm from the generation of ipods and computers and what not but theres nothing i love more then going for a run with my ipod. yeah I hate holding it which is why i clip it to my shirt but listening to music is when i do my best thinking and it makes it feel like everytime i'm going out for a "run" it's a mini adventure I get to take for the day and get away from everything. Anyways I consider my self a runner even though I'm sloww ): and I personally am irritated when I see people running in brand new "running gear" and spandex complete with the visor and water belt that are for like marathons. I've gone on a ten mile run with no water in 80 degrees so I'm sure people out for a jog around their neighborhood aren't in dire need of H2O. Also I think a runner can be identified by their shoes...dirty and roughed up is what I like to see(: i hateeeee brand spanking new shoes i'm like I NEED A MUD PUDDLE NOW!! And also running in freeezing temperatures...

 

 

Okay basically my conclusion from that paragraph is...

 

You're a runner if you feel like you're crazy, and probably are, and on terrible stormy days when people are cooped up in the gym because they're afraid of getting wet they look out the window and see someone like us runners running in freezing temperatures or DOWNPOUR rain and think "oh my god they're crazy", in fact you want people to think that, and you just smile to yourself and keep going cuz theres NO WHERE else youd rather be than treking down the street soaking wet.

I think too many of us -- including owners of running stores -- define ourselves by separating ourselves from others, primarily on superficial things that we can see -- speed, age, body shape, weight, clothing, etc.

If we were to adopt that attitude, only the very elite could be considered runners, and even then there would be disputes between, say, ultramarathoners and sprinters.

Why should I feel more like a runner than an overweight person lining up on a Saturday morning for his or her first 5k?  We each have to run the same course, even if I can do it faster.  I'm also slower -- far slower, now -- than the greyhounds who win.  Does that make me a "jogger" even though  I've age-placed twice this last year?  Why should I feel more like a runner because I've been running for X years and have completed X marathons than someone who has just started running?  Everyone, from the men and women who win Olympic gold medals to the person "jogging" in your neighborhood, had to start sometime and has to make the decision each time he or she laces up the shoes and steps out the door or onto the treadmill.

We should each be less judgmental and more supportive and accepting.  Running is about your relationship with yourself, not the shoes worn by the person lining up next to you on a Saturday morning or the gear worn by someone running in your neighborhood.  We each have to run our own race.

And speaking of that -- I hope all you runners are signed up for at least one race between now and Thanksgiving.  I'm running a spur-of-the-moment 5k Saturday morning and a 5k Turkey trot Thanksgiving morning (both 5ks to get my daughter running; the 5k this Saturday is seriously messing with my training schedule) and, for myself, a 10 mile race in two weeks.  I say this because my definition of myself as a runner includes running races for the camaraderie with other runners, no matter how slow or how fast.

Run on!

Lets see,they make " walking shoes " they make " running shoes " I've never heard of a " jogging shoe "

If you noticed I never was defining "joggers" I was just stating what personally made me feel like a runner and threw in the fact that the whole "new lease on life work out" attire bothered me... what makes you a runner is how passionate you feel about it. If you call yourself a runner, you're a runner, no matter how slow or fast. The term itself shows you have passion for the sport. People who call themselves joggers are joggers, whether they realize it or not by calling yourself a jogger people get the image that you're doing it lesisurely on occasion.

I think there are 2 factors that differentiate a 'runner' from a 'jogger.' I don't think that it's about speed, or even frequency of the activity.

The 1st is motion. Runners have a smoother stride with more forward-momentum. Joggers have a casual, up & down kind of bounce to their stride.

The 2nd, and most important (I think), is their attitude about it. I feel like a 'joggers' are more casual about it. 'Runners' take it more seriously, getting into the whole world of running - running-specific clothing, gear (ie: running shoes, sports watches, water bottles or hydration packs (for longer runs)), track their times and continuously try to better them, read 'Runners World,' maybe enter races, follow training plans for specific distances, maybe do speedwork and possibly hill running, talk about running with their 'running friends,' and usually have more knowledge than the average 'jogger' about various running-related injuries, training methods, and specific types of runs such as fartlek, pace, tempo, race sims, etc.

For 'joggers,' I think it's a hobby. I'ts something they do. It's a way to lose or maintain weight. It's a means to an end.

For 'runners,' although they may also do it partly to lose or maintain weight, it's typically not just a hobby. It's not only something they do; it's part of who they are. It's a lifestyle.

I also totally agree with a previous poster who said that if it's your passion, you're a runner! :-)

Just my 2cents. :-)

jog : happy feel good running

run : pedal to the metal jogging

^_^

I just want to say to Surfing Vol that I love how positive and encouraging your responses are.  I am a new runner and have a slow pace and have felt an incredible amount of support from the local running community.  My husband has been a runner for several years and our running friends providing encouragement and support have kept me at it when I struggled.  Keep up your positive words, your encouragement can keep people motivated as they begin their journey.

Reading through all the responses, it is obvious that everyone who (runs/jogs) considers "running" superior to "jogging".  The definitions everyone refers to (such as whether you do it for passion vs. fitness or how many days per week you do it) are intended to elevate running to a status higher than jogging.

They're just words folks!

Thirty years ago, the popular terminology for recreational running was "jogging".  I think "jogging" was a term that applied to anyone who just ran on their own as opposed to competitive athletes. "Jogging" is an outdated term and no one wants to call what they do jogging even if it is the exact same activity as running.   There probably isn't any point in asking which is which.  If you are "moving forward at a speed faster than walking, with both feet leaving the ground at some point in each stride" then you are running (or "jogging" if you happen to be doing it in 1978!)