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“Serious”,  “Casual” or “Who Cares?”

in the category: Fitness

A response, of sorts, to the question "are you a serious runner or a casual one?"

Brian at The Internal Pigdog is asking the question: “What’s a Serious Runner?”. He’s followed this with checklist posts to help determine if you’re a casual or serious runner.

Honestly, these and other posts like them get my goat a bit. Brian admits “...It’s not attractive to be a running snob. Yet I do think there’s a divide…”. I respect Brian’s intelligence and his running ability. And I can accept that a certain level of skill, dedication and success may entitle one to feel pride in one’s ability and accomplishments.

I understand that there’s a level of tongue in cheek with the posts mentioned, and I think Brian carefully addresses “the divide”. But at the root of this debate is the subtle, patronizing subtext that states “When I pass you I can’t help but look down on you and your efforts”.

Competition breeds comparison. Human nature, for that matter, is all about categorization and ranking. We mentally put things in different buckets to make sense of the world, and we assign more value on some buckets than others.

I respect runners that are out there competitively seeking faster and faster marathon times. I understand the (to some extent) alpha mentality, and the innate human compulsion to categorize. But in the world of running, I don’t live there. The running community I occupy is less about criticizing the differences, and more about praising them. When I see people that truly smoke through their miles, I am in awe. And when I see someone—fanny pack and all—struggling to huff through their 15 minute run, I dig what they’re trying to do. If you’re out there, turning them over, you have my respect—serious, casual or otherwise.

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