I was updating my workout online and here’s a question one member posted on the board, “When do you consider yourself a runner?”

It is a very interesting question, and it actually generated a variety of answers. Some are very interesting, others were funny…I’d like to share some with you today.

When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner? – Answers

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

–John Bingham

I think being a runner is mostly in your head. Regardless of your distance and pace, if you think about running every day, anticipating the next outing, then you must be a runner. If you only run on a treadmill, then you are a hamster. Many runners turn into hamsters over the winter for some reason. Screwshoes or running snowshoes could liberate them from their winter rodent-hood!

–Gil R.

“I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.”

-Bart Yasso

When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner – My Ten Cents

Here’s what I will say if asked, when do you consider yourself a runner? When you ran a race like a 5k, half-mary or full and you complained afterwards saying you’re not paying the registration fee to run again and find yourself doing it the next year and the year after that…you are a runner!

Seriously, I really don’t know how to answer it. How about you?

Here’s some more of what others said;

I think being a runner is mostly in your head. Regardless of your distance and pace, if you think about running every day, anticipating the next outing, then you must be a runner. If you only run on a treadmill, then you are a hamster. Many runners turn into hamsters over the winter for some reason. Screwshoes or running snowshoes could liberate them from their winter rodent-hood!

–Gil R.

I Like what Michael said;

Identify? Sounds like something you do at an AA meeting or something. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Get out and run a hole into the wind, kick up some dust!

I know what you’re saying though. Many people put a lot of stock into categorization. You’ll never have a one size fits all.

Establish a “running base” for yourself and stick to the routine through all manner of obstacles, be it pain, scheduling, weather… Do this for say 6 months, look at yourself in the mirror, and you’ll be able to think of yourself as a runner, but you won’t be as concerned as calling yourself one.

In a lot of other areas of life, when something is new to us, we tend to over-think, over-analyze, even obsess sometimes. After awhile, we attain knowledge and wisdom.

The one thing I do know, the most experienced runners among us usually don’t feel the need to identify or talk a lot about it. They “just do it”

When do you consider yourself a runner? Finally, let me try to end with this…if you have logged 250 miles at any given year you are a runner. That’s about the time when you need a new pair of running shoes!

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