Jogger, Racer or Runner?

Do you know the difference between a jogger, a racer and a runner? I do.

I know it not because I am a professional runner, which I am not and you know that. I know it because I read it in the book, "Running for Fitness".

The joggers are those who take up the sport because they want to lose weight. They are the ever health conscious advocates of running as a form of exercise. The racers are the evolved joggers who got into a race and suddenly realized there's a world of competition out there. They become conscious of their time and they log down their records diligently. The runners are those who love the sport for all its health benefits and join the race not to outdo anybody but themselves. They run for peace of mind. Who are you?

Would you believe that in just a month of religiously following a 5-km running program (check on the link to podrunner to know about the 5-km program), I have evolved from being a walker... not a jogger, not a racer... mind you, a walker (!)..... into a runner.

I particularly love this paragraph written by George Sheehan in his book Running to Win which makes clear distinction of the above terms: "Jogging, they say is competing against yourself. Racing is competing against others. Running is discovering that competing is only competing. It is essential and not essential. It is important and unimportant. Running is finally seeing everything in perspective. Running is discovering the wholeness, the unity that everyone seeks. Running is the fusion of body, mind, and soul in that beautiful relaxation that joggers and racers find so difficult to achieve."

And guess what? According to Owen Barder, author of Running for Fitness, you only understand the real definition of a runner when you actually experience it first-hand.

I am a runner.

I say this with utmost humility because I know that it is pure grace that I should experience what these two authors defined running to be.

The Miracle Run

I am not a runner. I actually hated running. When I joined the 10-km Miracle Run last August 17, 2008 it was literally a 'miracle' for me. It is my husband who really loves to run and he was the one who pre-registered for the event. As for me, it was a very last minute decision. But for someone who hated running, you should congratulate me for finishing the course.... by walking.

I finished it at 1:41:08.

That's when it all started.

Two days after the event, I was still taking Eperisone Hydrochloride (Myonal), a muscle relaxant and Ibuprofen-Paracetamol (Alaxan) three times a day. I could barely walk straight. Then I decided to learn how to run. And not just that, I decided to learn to love running.
So I searched through my husband's library and saw this book, "Running for Fitness" by Owen Barder. It's just a 154-paged book, nothing to be afraid of. Totally looked harmless to me. It was very easy to carry around so I brought it with me to work. When my friend congratulated me, having heard from my husband that I completed a 10-km venture, I proudly held up the book and showed him my latest book-find.

He looked at me with disbelief and uttered, "Do you really have to read that in order to run?"

That caught me offguard. I did not know that there are actually people who just get into a hobby or a new interest without exerting an effort to read about the stuff. For me, if you are interested in something, you have to read about it and learn as much as possible about the object of interest if you really wanted to get the most out of it. Call me nutty, which I am, if nutty means being very theoretical about things first before putting it into practice.

Reading the book was very informative and I swear, it prevented me from falling into the many pitfalls that beginners tend to get into as they embark in this totally new world of running. For those who dislike opening a reading material which is thicker than a magazine, I welcome you to my blogsite, where I shall share with you little pieces of information about running which shall not cause you indigestion or diarrhea. This is for those who just love to run and do not want to waste their precious time idling around with a thick book on their hand.