Runner or Jogger?

I confess this is not an original thought of mine, but has been bouncing around in my head since I was re-reading a rather old issue of Runner's World. I'm sorry that I didn't note the issue date, and I can't find it online, but there is a similar piece here.

The question is, how fast do you have to be, to call yourself a Runner rather than a Jogger? For someone like me who never seems to do any great distance faster than 10-minute-mile pace, and in which every single candid "race" photo makes me look like I'm out for a somewhat sweaty walk, the topic is extremely pertinent.

The columnist's answer surprised and comforted me, and I'm hereby adopting the viewpoint that running is about attitude, rather than speed...

• If you're out to accomplish something, you're probably a runner.
  
• If you're seeking to improve in some way (no matter what your starting point), you're a runner.
  
• If you haul yourself out of a cozy bed before daylight, because it's important you don't miss a session (even if that session is 3 miles which take you 33 minutes), you're certainly a runner.
  
• If you sulk when you get injured and get antsy not lacing up your shoes for a week, then you're most definitely a runner.

So to all those runners who take 5 hours for their first marathon, I salute you. Even if I take 5 hours 55, I'm still calling myself a runner.

What do you think? Does speed matter, or is it all a state of mind?

Image thanks: Mike Lockett

Solstice, or thereabouts

I have previously enthused about these few precious weeks when my 5:30 alarm is met with daylight, which not only makes staggering out of bed easier, but means my pre-work run has the appeal of being able to see where I'm trotting and even the possibility of some interesting wildlife sightings.

I do realize that those living in Seattle, Stirling or Stavanger will find this most amusing, but here in San Francisco, "long" summer days are rationed. Sure, we enjoy mild, friendly weather for much of the year, but you guys have the last laugh with your extended summer mornings and evenings.

My pathetic sluggishness of the past few weeks means many light mornings have already slipped by me, so I am determined to make the most of what's remaining. Somewhat to my dismay, we are already past the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

It's very likely you'll recognize this photo as Stonehenge, Wiltshire, in the UK. Much debate surrounds precisely when Stonehenge was built, by whom, and how, but the rising of the sun on the summer solstice was clearly of extreme importance in the precise placement of these enormous stones which measure up to 24 feet tall and weigh 50 (English) tons.

If these sun-lovers could achieve something of this scale and accuracy with the resources available to them around 4000 years ago, then the least I can do is hop willingly out of bed for a gentle dawn run.

Stonehenge photo thanks: Konrad Mostert

Respect

Thanks so much, everyone, for the good wishes during my period of knee-rest. I started this blog really as a personal record of my (anticipated) marathon "glory" (hah!) and am very touched to have a small but loyal crew checking in on me.

I've appointed tomorrow as my day to try a gentle 3-mile run and see what happens. That will have been a 40 day break from running (wow, went fast!). With luck, my knee will be fine and I'll simply puff and pant my way around the local sidewalks at some embarrassingly slow, but pain-free, pace.

Meanwhile, I wanted to give a quick mention to Geoff Turner. I was being somewhat flippant when I said here that there's always someone with a worse injury than you. Little did I know, Geoff is an amputee who lost his leg in a car accident in 1991. Yesterday, he ran the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in San Francisco in 2 hours, 2 minutes. That's a full 6 minutes faster than my best time so far. Geoff, I salute you, you inspire me, and I hope to have the honor of finishing a race behind you some day.

Photo thanks: San Francisco Examiner

Getting itchy feet

Well, my house has never been cleaner and my piano has never been played more than in these last few weeks that I've been able to run :)

That is the positive part about being 'injured' - I have gained at least 4 hours per week, not to mention more energy on a Saturday afternoon through not hauling myself out of bed for a 15+ mile run in the morning.

However, even with these benefits, I can hardly wait to run again. So I've been amusing myself by looking for events I might be able to enter if my fitness level allows. If you're in California, will you be considering any of these?

• March 21, Across the Bay (12km)
  I've done this race twice before and it's a wonderful route from Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge and along the waterfront into San Francisco. But frankly, I only want to do it this year if I can give my previous time a good kicking, and I'm not sure I can get fit enough in 5 weeks (even if my knee behaves).
  
  
• April 11, Santa Cruz (half marathon)
  This looks wonderfully scenic but I've heard it's hilly!
  
  
• July 11, Los Gatos (half marathon)
  
  
• July 25, San Francisco (half or full marathon)
  This is how it all started - Beloved Husband did this last year and frankly, made it look a bit too easy. Muggins here promptly signed up for Napa, and you know the rest. :)
  I won't be fit for 26 miles by this date, but I quite fancy the second half of the course. Last year, this race was timed so that in theory Beloved Husband could do the full 26 miles and I could join for the second half. That's a nice option to keep in mind if you and a friend have different running abilities.
  
  
• October 3, San Jose Rock 'n' Roll (half marathon)
  We did this for the first time last year - it's a nice route and well-organized race, but this year I have a somewhat stretching goal of getting 2:08 down to 1:something.
  
  
• October 3, Sacramento (marathon)
  
  
• October 10, Wine Country (marathon)
  
  
• October 31, Silicon Valley (half or full marathon)
  
  
• November 7, San Francsico (half marathon)
  If I fail to beat 2 hours in October, I might still be chasing it on this date.
  
  
• December 5, Sacramento (marathon)
  Realistically speaking, I really do hope to be in fit shape for a marathon by this time.

Photo thanks: Emerald Across the Bay, San Jose Rock 'n' Roll half marathon.

Health Screening Surprises

I'm lucky enough to work for an employer which appears to take staff health and well-being very seriously. So much so, they have just launched a program whereby if we show up for a free screening and jump through some other healthy hoops, they will give us a very small bonus in our pay checks.

Well, there's nothing I like better than free money, even if I'll be lucky to take home an extra $25 after Uncle Sam grabs his share. So I dutifully presented myself this morning, sans breakfast, to be assessed for BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure and some other bits and pieces.

Goodness, how very revealing. At 129 pounds and 5 foot 3 inches, my Body Mass Index is clearly fine and I could probably gain at least 10 pounds before anyone would raise their eyebrows. However, the dastardly fat calipers disagreed and were audacious enough to pronounce me "borderline overweight". The cheek of it! Either taking thigh measurements through my clothes introduces a significant margin of error, or I need to get my flabby stomach under control. Either way, it's no wonder many women suffer from poor body image if they spend 5 hours a week exercising yet still get this kind of pronouncement from their health care provider.

At this point I should mention my other scores were pretty good, so last Fall's 391 miles of running have clearly benefited me somewhat. The only exception to the happy data was my reading for HDL ("good") cholesterol which was woefully low. I was somewhat naughty and let the nurse get part way through her lecture on the importance of exercise before I informed her that I had been in training for a marathon until 12 days ago. At that point she decided genetic factors might be playing a part. I told her that when I've run 26 miles, if my HDL level is still low, then we can talk. Until then, just give me a healthy knee and I'll exercise until the cows come home.

I guess what bothers me about screenings like this are, they tend to catch the 'low hanging fruit' of people who are fairly active anyway. Folks who are really overweight or totally out of shape, are unlikely to submit willingly to the caliper test, especially in their own workplace. And the old rhetoric about the need for regular exercise tends to fall on deaf ears amongst those of us who honestly feel we're going above and beyond.

But there's always room for improvement, right? Next time I cross a finish line, I'd like to be carrying just a little less flab around my middle. As an added incentive, I'm posting the shameful evidence here as a public reminder that Runner's Tum is not yet a recognized sports injury.

Photo thanks: Sanja Gjenero, Mark Nelson.

I want that T-shirt

I definitely don't count amongst the world's stylish runners. Usually, I fall out of bed, locate something almost-clean and weather-appropriate, and off I trot.

So when I come across clever people with inspirational quotes on their gear, I take note. Here are a few I've seen that I love and would love to own. Have you any to add?

I run for chocolate.

The will to win is important.

But the will to prepare is vital.

Does my butt look fast in this?

Because 26.2 is too far.
(seen at a half marathon)

Photo:
Run with friends, it's cheaper than therapy
by See Jane Run.

Today I was thrilled to do another 8 pain-free miles. The fresh and breezy weather here really blew the cobwebs away and reminded me why I got hooked on this sport in the first place. I'm planning a short outing on Thursday (maybe some very gentle intervals) and then Saturday will be long, slow distance to see whether there's life in the old knee yet.

Highs and lows

One of the things I need to get used to about a multi-month training program is that it's not all going to be a steady, cheerful climb to the top.

After Saturday's enjoyable run when I felt strong and, ooh, let's be honest, showed off just a little for the last couple of miles, it was a bit of a disappointment to go out yesterday for a five mile trot and find myself so sluggish. Logic, of course, says that's the whole point of the Sunday run - to go out when you're already tired and ask your body for a bit more. But I was quite shocked how hard it was and how un-zippy I felt. What's more, today there is another 7 miles to be done, after work, in the dark and cold. Oh joy. Getting out the front door is going to require some willpower.

To pep myself up a bit, I have booked a hotel in Napa for the marathon, and spent a few minutes thinking about women like Kathrine Switzer who fought for the right to run the Boston Marathon in the 1960s... back when everyone believed a woman couldn't possibly achieve 26 miles. Incredible, but true, and all the more reason to get my running shoes on this evening.

Photo thanks: Asif Akbar