When did I know I had become a runner? That is the question Marlene posted in the Runners’ Lounge today.

I thought about this on my 8 miler this morning and have to admit that I honestly have no idea. Which indicates that it was obviously not a profound event but rather a gradual progression.

I know I definitely did not consider myself a runner when I ran in high school or even when I first started out running on a regular basis way back then in Chester Springs, running from mailbox to mailbox. Because, let’s face it: lacing up my shoes during  those cold, gray, damp Pennsylvania fall mornings was not exactly what I considered “pleasure”. It hurt! And sucked on occasion! But for some reason I stuck with it.

At first I did not run every day, not even every other day, I was not a runner, I was a jogger. Then one day, after coming back home from my jog I realized that I felt completely different from when I started out. I was calm, collected, and the thought of facing the rest of my day did not leave me yearning for curling up under the blanket or taking the next flight home.

By the time we moved to the Bay Area three months after that fateful morning in the outskirts of the City of Brotherly Love when I first laced up my tennis, yes tennis!!!, shoes I was definitely running jogging on a regular basis. And by regular I mean three times a week give or take.

And then, I found myself in California. The Land of Fruits and Nuts! With a host mother that became increasingly more pregnant with her second child and therefore increasingly more irrational hormonal. I started running jogging every day. And at first only to keep my sanity. I never really put any thought into whether I was enjoying myself or not. I just did it. And it helped getting me through the day. It was that one period of the day that was just for me. No one making demands, no one crying for attention, no one flinging a list of tasks in my direction. It was Me Time! Had I become a runner? I don’t know. The dictionary defines a runner as “a person, animal, thing that runs”, but leaves out the details. What if you only run once? I would not consider you to be a runner. Not even if you ran a race. If you only run one race and never run again, you are not a runner.

Maybe back then, during those early days in the Golden State I was still a jogger, just trotting along, never running for time or distance, never really changing my routine. A routine that carried me through another year in California, four years in Munich, and a move back to land my heart belongs to.

Then I entered my first race. But racing I did not! I finished the 10k in just under one hour… And that finish time just proves that I continued to be a jogger. I did not even try to run faster nor did I care about the finish time. I just wanted to be in the race.

Shortly after that first race a friend talked me into joining Team in Training. She was not a runner and wanted to do the Tahoe Century, a 100 mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe. Since my stepdaughter had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a few months before we thought this was a good motivation and cause and signed up. I put my running shoes away and clipped my new bike shoes into the pedals. In my 22 years of jogging and later running this was the only time I took a real break from running. And it did not stick. After two Tahoe Centuries in two consecutive years I climbed back into my running shoes and never looked back. Biking was fun, definitely less hard on your body, but it was not my passion.

Maybe that’s when I became a runner because after my biking period I definitely stepped it up a notch. I started to vary my routine, read running magazines and signed up for my first marathon. I knew I did not want to jog it, I wanted to run it. Yes, there is a difference*!!! No, I am not a snob about it! Running takes effort, following a training plan takes discipline, finishing a marathon running takes determination! Jogging does not make you a runner just as taking half a day to walk 26.2 miles does not make you a marathoner!

A runner is someone who will give up just about anything to get his training in. Get up before dawn on a snowy, windy morning so he can still be at work on time. Forgo Friday night bar hopping with friends because a long run is scheduled for early Saturday morning. Leave the favorite burrito untouched in order to eat something that will not mess with his/her insides the next day.

Joggers fit in their run whenever they can, runners adjust their daily schedule around their run. Joggers lace up their shoes when it is convenient. Runners lace up their shoes no matter what. Joggers have all sorts of things on their minds, things that take priority over their workout. Runners mainly have running on their mind and everything that involves splits, finish times, mileage, the next race, goal pace, nutrition, and hydration, and they can talk about those incessantly, which is the reason they feel most at ease amongst other runners who can appreciate their obsession passion.

So, coming back to the original question of when I realized that I was a runner. As you see from my story above it was not one specific moment that made me realize I was a runner. Rather it was a gradual progression marked by my venturing into the long distance arena. One thing is for sure though, “if you are not sure whether you are running or jogging, go faster” ~ Pearl Izumi

*my most favorite ads!!!

Today’s Running Tip: Find out if you are a runner!

You can consider yourself a runner if you don’t want to escape the fact that you are running!