A whole lot of things came up in the comments in the last post. For now, I'm going to leave it there and get back to running. One interesting point made was the difference between "serious" and "casual" runners. I struggle with this. It's not attractive to be a running snob. Yet I do think there's a divide. Running has changed quite a bit over the years. The marathon has gone from something only "crazy" people do to another box to check off on a life experience. There's been plenty written about how slow marathons have gotten, why Oprah is to blame, the charity rackets, expensive big city marathons, etc. I'm not going to rehash those.
So what makes a serious runner? To me, it certainly isn't speed. There are many people who are athletically gifted. Is it miles? I think that's part of it. More to the point is commitment -- breaking through from a couple times a week to a training regimen with goals in mind. I don't care if the goal is a 3-hour marathon or completing a 10k. What I find so great about running is anyone can do it. Thin, fat, fast, slow, young, old. I have just as much respect for people who train diligently to run the marathon in five hours as the guys doing 2:30. The other month, I passed an older woman a few times during a run in a driving rain in Central Park. She couldn't have been going any faster than 11-minute pace. I see her all the time, grinding out miles with her face twisted in a look of fierce determination. That night was no different. I was doing like 12 or something, totally beat. There was an unspoken bond because we were dealing with the same stuff.
The idea for this blog sprung from the idea that runners fight the same struggle. The serious runner embraces the struggle; accepts pain as part of the deal; and knows the real achievement is the training, not the race itself. My favorite running novel is "Once a Runner," a sometimes schmaltzy story of Quentin Cassidy, a mythical miler. The author summed up his ethos this way: "It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension." There's truth to that.
11 miles, 1:24:30
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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8 comments:
There you nail it right on the head it great to encounter people on your runs especially the ones you frequently see. Even the sight give me a smile and make's me float on my pace. That is the fun to run
Totally. It's both odd and comforting how when you're running in a park or neighborhood you see other runners over and over and don't necessarily want to acknowledge each other but in your mind, you know you both gave each other a mental high five.
I think part of it is also respecting the distance you're training for...whether it's a marathon or 5k or inbetween and trying to run/race it to the best of your ability...
(or wait a minute...that's probably more the difference between competitive and non-competitive :) )
See, all my friends love to call me a serious runner. And by distance standards, I suppose I am - five marathons in three months is a lot. But training-wise, I'm very relaxed. I don't have a specific training plan, and I only run maybe once a week. Your description hit the nail on the head for me - THAT'S why I don't consider myself a serious runner.
Myckel and Ashley,
I totally agree. Outside of NY, people say hello, which I find a bit much. The look or recognition is enough.
nyflygirl,
Yes, respecting the distance is definitely a mark of a serious runner. Anyone who has tried to run a marathon well knows it's a long way and deserves respect.
Laura,
No dice: you're a serious runner. The goal of running a marathon in every state pretty much gives you automatic entry to The Serious Runners Club.
I'll admit the "serious versus casual" runner thing stuck in my craw a bit, as it had the potential to be an exercise in snobbery. As I've commented before, I don't like the idea of peoples' efforts being marginalized because they're new to it or because they're just not that good at it.
But even though your checklists rub me a little wrong (maybe because I'm a pretty rotten runner) I don't think that's what you're getting at here. I don't think you're looking to be elitist, I think you're just trying to make sense of a sport that has almost no barrier to entry.
Barring injury or disability, anybody can run; so what makes a "runner"?
After some (probably too much) thought, I have another characteristic to add to your differentiation between serious and casual runners:
casual runners run to lose or maintain weight; serious runners lose or maintain weight to run better.
Just a thought.
I've been following these post and just wanted to jump in. I consider myself somewhere between serious and casual. How about casually serious? I started out to get in shape. From coach to 10K. After that I ran to lose weight. Some 5Ks and a couple more 10Ks. During this time 5Ks became fun, not something I was concerned about. Now I'm to the point that I've set some goals, half by the end of the year and hopefully the Marine Corps marathon next year. I don't dread 10Ks and do a couple of long runs a week (5 and 9 miles working my way up). But I also miss runs for bad reasons (on a business trip, for example).
I think conversations like this are good to have. People just starting out no they aren't serious runners but they also want to be respected for what they are doing. We sure as heck respect you serious types. You may never know how much a nod as you pass helps us slow/big/new folks finish our run.
Steve,
I think that's totally awesome. The "casual" and "serious" lists were meant in a spirit of fun. The whole point of the blog is that all runners face the pigdog.
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