to all the real runners

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  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
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    Who gives a ****, just run.

    ^This guy gets it!
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
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    do you ever find yourself in a conversation with someone who says they run, only to find out that it's only on the treadmill? do you immediately dismiss them as not being a real runner?
    I'm not a runner but a cyclist. Bicycle rider to be more specific. If someone told me they only did the stationary bike (recumbent, spinning, traditional, etc.) I wouldn't consider them a cyclist. I would consider them someone who prefers the bicycling simulation machines for cardio. I often do the running simulation called elliptical machines but I don't tell people I jog or run.

    There's something about steering and pedaling while navigating traffic, rocks, holes, pedestrians, bicycles and other obstacles that makes it real. If you never ride into the wind or deal with rain or other weather, how is that being a cyclist?
  • manhn1
    manhn1 Posts: 137 Member
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    It's one thing judging internet people, but to judge people in real life by how often they run on a treadmill vs. outside? Hmm, weird.

    I run outside and on the treadmill. I don't need to use the weather, time restrictions and the like to justify why I run on the treadmill either. I like running on the treadmill. I also like running outside. Big whup.
    I'm not a runner but a cyclist. Bicycle rider to be more specific. If someone told me they only did the stationary bike (recumbent, spinning, traditional, etc.) I wouldn't consider them a cyclist. I would consider them someone who prefers the bicycling simulation machines for cardio. I often do the running simulation called elliptical machines but I don't tell people I jog or run.

    There's something about steering and pedaling while navigating traffic, rocks, holes, pedestrians, bicycles and other obstacles that makes it real. If you never ride into the wind or deal with rain or other weather, how is that being a cyclist?

    So, if someone like Michael Phelps swims exclusively in pools but never in the ocean or lake, he's not really a swimmer?
  • lj3jones
    lj3jones Posts: 94 Member
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    Right now, I do more running on the treadmill in the basement then I do outside. I would prefer to run outside, but it just isn't an option when you are running while your child is asleep and no one else is at home. Does that mean I am no longer a runner?

    (FWIW, I have finished 2 Ironmans, 4 half Ironmans, 1 marathon and countless half marathons and shorter running races/triathlons).

    One of the best runners I know does almost all of her runs on the treadmill due to severe allergies. She is a sub 3 hr marathoner.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
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    No, but I'm not pompous.


    This ^^^, so so much of this ^^^
  • czmmom
    czmmom Posts: 236 Member
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    Honestly, I'd never really given it much thought.

    I know there are those who think you have to have run a marathon to be a "real runner" , personally I prefer a more inclusive definition - to me it's a state of mind. If you think of yourself as a runner and you actually run (indoors or out) then you're a runner.


    I am with this person. If you run, then you are a runner. So yes, a person running 3 miles is just as much a runner as I who is training for a marathon. We are just in different places along our running journey. We may never get to the same end, and that is okay.
  • pipertargaryen
    pipertargaryen Posts: 303 Member
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    \What's funny to me is that I 'run' outside, and have only ever run outside, because I couldn't afford a treadmill if hell froze over (I have a gym membership, but I only use it for classes and swimming. The actual 'gym' sends my anxiety through the roof!). My 'running' is in 60-second bursts, with 90sec-2 minutes off, because it's all I can manage.

    2 weeks ago, I was only managing 30-seconds on, with 2-3 minutes off. I'm improving every day. My BMI is 30 (down from 38 when I started); still 'obese' until I lose another 2lbs. I quit smoking less than 3 months ago. My lungs and breathing are recovering every day, I'm in horrific shape, but holy crap, am I ever working on it. That being said - I might go for a 5-10k walk/run combo every few days, where only 33% of the time is spent running.

    There are people who run on treadmills who are a) WAY less fat than I am, and b) in MUCH better shape. I don't call myself a runner, though I'm sure there's people out there at a similar level as me who do. While I don't begrudge them that distinction one bit, you can bet your *kitten* that the people running treadmills for more much longer and much faster are more of a 'runner' than I am right now, and maybe more than I'll ever be.
  • Kmarchak
    Kmarchak Posts: 21 Member
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    I've run a half marathon on both a treadmill and outside. I personally feel that outside is a better workout and is more challenging than a treadmill. I almost never run on a treadmill now.
  • PennyVonDread
    PennyVonDread Posts: 432 Member
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    Um. It's not like running on a treadmill is fake running. Why? Because it's indoors? Is indoor track running also fake because it's indoors?

    I grew up in Chicago and it wasn't safe to run in my neighborhood. I ran inside on a treadmill. I didn't crave being outside or care. I liked running. You don't get to determine how people identify themselves, whether or not they're "real" decided solely on whether or not they move "like you."

    That's rude. I like all runners. Or joggers. Or whatever they call it/themselves as long as they're happy doing it.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    One of the first things that attracted me to the running community (versus running by myself), was the level of acceptance I found amongst other runners. No one asked me what my pace was, how often I ran, how long I had been running for - they simply accepted the fact I laced up twice a week and ran with them. That was enough.

    I really dislike the elitist attitudes that I've run across periodically from time to time amongst runners. People who judge other runners by how fast they are, where they run, how they run, what shoes they wear, what races they've done and are training for,... it goes on and on. Does it really matter? Does it affect your day or your running in any way?

    I've never been interested in expending energy making myself feel better than anyone else who laces up and gets out there for a run/jog/race what have you. But that's just me.

    ETA: Oh, and last time I checked, they were called *running shoes*. Not fake-treadmill-only-running shoes, not jogging-shoes, not-I'm-posing-as-a-runner-shoes. Just running shoes.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    My personal view....if they run (inside or out) they are runners. Doesn't matter if they are the beginners who are starting out with C25K, easy runners who do a few easy 2-3 mile runs a week on a treadmill or if they are the ultra finishers who are crossing Death Valley in under 24 hours...including all those in between. Everyone has different goals, so whatever people do to achieve them...why does it matter?
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    do you ever find yourself in a conversation with someone who says they run, only to find out that it's only on the treadmill? do you immediately dismiss them as not being a real runner?

    i'm not talking about jumping on the treadmill when the weather is too extreme to run outside, or for a warm up to cross/strength train. i mean the people that drive to the gym or go to their basement/garage/spare bedroom to only run on a treadmill 365 days a year.

    I taught my daughter that a race is won in the off-season.

    She "runs" on a treadmill for 9 months out of the year. The other 3 months she has set record, after record "running" 100 meters on artificial turf as fast as humanly possible.

    I do wear a matching "kit" on my bike when I race, so what do I know....? '-)
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
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    So, if someone like Michael Phelps swims exclusively in pools but never in the ocean or lake, he's not really a swimmer?
    I don't claim to have an opinion about swimmers.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I find that when i run on the treadmill i don't feel as productive or stress relieved as when i run outside. there is something about being outside running completely in your element that the treadmill doesn't offer. but to each their own, and at least they are doing it and bettering their own lives.

    I once did 15 miles on a treadmill while watching 'It's a Bug's Life'. It was incredibly productive AND stress relieving! :happy:

    But..srs. I know what you mean.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I was going to go for a run but then I started reading this thread and got distracted. So instead I went on the treadmill and went for a jog.

    Am I a jogger???

    Did you ever at any time have both feet in the air at the same time? If so, you were running (hate to break it to you).
  • ryantrimble12
    ryantrimble12 Posts: 49 Member
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    I run outside occasionally (if the weather is just too beautiful to miss), but I actually prefer treadmill running: I find looking at the numbers tick away is super motivating for me. I also have allergies that can make running outside very annoying.

    I started running for fitness/weight loss, and didn't really consider myself a runner until I started to enjoy and look forward to my treadmill time :)
  • rumezzo
    rumezzo Posts: 42 Member
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    Ah, but Captain, you didn't directly say it. You implied it. Sometimes it really does just come down to semantics. You started a thread called, "to all the real runners," which automatically holds the implication that some runners are NOT "real" runners, which is why some people made the logical assumption that you felt there was, in fact, a distinction. Not to mention, it clearly had some folks immediately on the defensive. Because I'm clearly some kind of masochist, I enjoy a good verbal repartee, so this didn't really bother me, but I do feel obligated to point it out to the crowd. Sometimes what you don't say speaks just as loudly as what you do.

    so you're telling me what you think i meant? or are you telling me what you think other people think i meant?

    Oh hell...I don't think I remember anymore. I was merely illustrating that by using the words "real runners" the automatic implication is that NOT-real runners exist, so it already indicates bias in that direction, whether you meant it or not. So I think I might be telling you what I think other people will think you might think based on the the title alone, not necessarily on what you really think, but that's just what I think.
  • CherylP67
    CherylP67 Posts: 772 Member
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    It doesn't matter to me when people consider themselves a runner. It's their journey and their perspective on their journey has no impact on my journey.

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