On The Run?? - 12/10/08 (Part 1)

2.80 mi / 47:54 min / 17:05 mpm

That's my new fancy running watch ($10 at Target).

Because it has been so long since I have done any actual running (have I ever?), I am following a beginner's schedule out of the Complete Book of Running.

Step 1 was to walk 20 minutes everyday for 4 days. Then to walk 30 minutes a day for 4 days.

Now comes the time to start building in some running (a minute here, a couple of minutes there). Hence, the need for a stopwatch.

Which brings me to the question, when is "running" running?

Obviously, walking is not running. But there is a large population out there who actually complete marathons based on a philosophy of alternating a few minutes running with a few minutes walking. If you are running 5 minutes and then walking 1 minute, is that "a run"?

Can you really say you "ran" a marathon if you walked a percentage of it?

And what about those who don't walk - they pick their feet a little higher than walking and extend them a little further than walking but they don't actually move much faster than walking. Are they running or jogging? Is there a difference?

I suspect that the answer is similar to a bumper sticker I once saw that read "If you drive faster than me, you are a maniac. If you drive slower, you're an idiot"

"I'm a runner. If you move faster than me, you are a sprinter. If you move slower, you're a jogger."

For the past couple of weeks, I have told my wife that I was going out for a "run" when in reality I was going out for a brisk walk. But no one says "I'm going out for a brisk walk".

Truth is, if I was in better shape I would actually be going out for a run but I have learned that if I push myself too hard too fast, I will just end up with an injury. Which . . . now that I think about it . . . has happened every time I have started running regularly.

So I suppose that "running", like the bumper sticker, is a matter of perspective and maybe even intent.

My intent this morning was to go for a run - in reality, I walked 20 minutes, ran for one minute and walked another 20 minutes. But I moved my body as fast and as far as I could without risking injury.

And I had a good run.

PS

Attentive readers may have noticed that my opening stats said I ran 48 minutes but that I have only accounted for 40 minutes of that time.

That is because I have finally answered that age-old question of "How long do I have to run in circles through the bushes with a stranger's half-eaten sandwich to be deemed socially acceptable?"

Answer: About 7 minutes, 54 seconds.

Details tomorrow . . .