Over the past year I have met some pretty amazing people who RUN! It is pretty amazing in the running world you tend to learn what motivates people to run or why they started. At least I have, or I might just be a super nosey person and they tell me their story after I tell them mine.
~I met a woman who took up running after she was diagnosed with cancer. And she runs now to celebrate her life. She can run continually without stopping AND she is bigger than me. Does she run like a speed diva? NOPE, she is a steady 15 min/mile pace which many runners or other people would consider almost walking, but she is a RUNNER!
~I have a good friend that is getting back into running. She joined the Woman's 4 miler training program and is re-learning to run. She has 5 kids, is waking up during the week at 5am to go to the track to get her mileage in. She is walking the straights and running the curves or vice versa and might be slow running, but she is a RUNNER!
~Another friend on Facebook yesterday wrote: "Ran for the first time in a long time...! Of corse I walked some too. Progress, not perfection!" SHE IS A RUNNER! A run is a run is a run!
~I started running last year and was so proud of my 15 min/mile pace, and was even more ecstatic when I was training at a 14:30 min/mile while pregnant. I run and walk and I might be slow but I AM A RUNNER!
What makes a runner and why does a runner by many have to be classified as someone who runs a 7 min mile? A runner is someone who incorporates a pace faster than their own personal walking speed. Even if it is a jog, it is still a run for that person. I bet you anything we are working just as hard to get our legs to move faster than a walk. At least I am. Running is hard work. It takes practice to get comfortable with it. Also, like my friend with cancer, she doesn't want to run faster, she is happy and content with the current speed she is doing. At least she is moving! My goal to run a 12 min mile, which is slow to some people, but that is a huge accomplishment to me to be able move my body that quickly and some day I might even do a 10 min mile but for now, or at least when I am running, just to be able to run for 5 min without stopping is a celebration in my mind! So, if you are moving your legs faster than walking and making an attempt at jogging, wogging, sashaying, or running, YOU ARE A RUNNER!
