Do serious runners, generally speaking, dislike hiking?

What you say is true, but i think its also correlation with certain mental/emotional things. Truly healthy happy folks wouldnt have those issues. But most of us arent that sane.

I think that you are correct about some people, but I know serious runners that love hiking. One specific guy that I know is obsessive about running but also obsessive about peak bagging. He's trying to go out and bag all of the Colorado 14er's. Sometimes he runs parts of those hikes too though.

I, myself am not a serious runner, but I run a lot. I've gone on a few vacations where I hiked everyday and didn't run at all. You know what happened? Every sign of fatigue and lingering ache that seemed like an injury developing went away. After those vacations, I was so refreshed.

jamin wrote:

* Serious runners are anhedonics

Lol why do you think this?

I used to do some hiking and geocaching, at time in my life when I wasn't running much. Since then when I've been running and/or biking regularly, I always think I want to go hiking sometime but I never do it. If I'm ever taking an easy weekend from my main things I really need the rest instead of a damn hike.

Hiking for me has always been a "why would I do that" for sure. Walk a 6 mile trail in 2.5h when I just ran it in 45mim yesterday? P-a-s-s.

Now something interesting, maybe. The Manitou incline I have done and would do again. I'm way too clumsy to attempt running it.

Generally though...no interest in hiking.

I think that's largely true. It was for me back when I was a fast runner, for at least the first two of the four reasons named. I love hiking now as an old lady hobby jogger.

Yeah, I would agree.

Yeah but hiking you can stop and have some tea, read a book, nap. Keep hiking. Eat some food. Keep hiking.

More stuff to do than just run run run

In order to answer the question I need to know what criteria make a runner serious.

cb wrote:

In order to answer the question I need to know what criteria make a runner serious.

Good point. If being a serous runner just means that you are a blowhard, then this hypothesis is correct. I think that's it. A serious runner is a runner that is serious. If a runner has a sense of humor, then they are not serious.

I love running and hiking my whole life.

These are quite different things and you do them for different reasons.

Does that make me a unserious runner? Probably not.

What is a serious runner anyway?

Seriousrunnerandhiker wrote:

I love running and hiking my whole life.

These are quite different things and you do them for different reasons.

Does that make me a unserious runner? Probably not.

What is a serious runner anyway?

How many MPW do you run? What are your PRs?

TAA wrote:

jamin wrote:

* Serious runners are anhedonics

Lol why do you think this?

Because he is one of them. OP is a super insecure special snowflake who is desperate to justify his dislike of hiking.

I can list reasons that serious runners generally dislike bars. But OP will never care to read.

No, you can definitely do both. I love hiking and also climbing. I've climbed most of the peaks in Washington state and guided on Rainier for a couple of years as well. I've hiked the Wonderland trail and other long hikes in Washington state. Been involved in Search and Rescue since I was 15. Have trekked to the Everest Base Camp as well as the Annapurna Base Camp and also did the Annapurna Circuit. Have climbed smaller peaks in Nepal. Hiking and climbing are a lot of fun. Just make sure you really know what you are doing.

For sure I hate hiking.

Before getting into running trails about 6 yrs ago, I was introduced to hiking in the California mountains. I was such a fatass weightlifter and didn’t know at the time that people run mountains so I would hike using trekking poles and a giant backpack full of food. Once I got into trail running and improved, I looked down upon all hikers as fata$$es who are too lazy to run, and make fun of how they carry all that crap to the he summit. I can’t enjoy hiking because now I’d feel like a quitter for not running the whole way. Hiked Kilimanjaro a few years ago and hated every moment as I felt like an old loser , especially after hearing about Kilian and others running the whole ?distance.

jamin wrote:

I would say yes and for the following reasons

* Feels inneficient to them because it takes 5x as long (including drive to trailhead) to ultimately cover the same distance with your legs.

* Serious/obsessive runners avoid any physical activity that isn't running, as they're afraid it steals time/energy from their training cycle and adds injury risk.

* Serious runners are anhedonics, so something like an "epic view of a lake " doesn't activate pleasure centers in their brain.

* Lots of mental overhead involved in memorizing/navigating routes, forks in the road, etc. Runners, if they do hike, want to do it vigorously and be able to zone out and just push forward.

The list could go on. For instance, after a hike, normies feel accomplished that they got in a week's worth of exercise, so they go out for beers or ice cream after as a reward. But runners know they could have gotten in a better workout in 1/3 of the time and it makes the post-hike meal unenjoyable.

Hmmm. Generally agree. However, just returned some Zion and had a few insane/fulfilling hikes there that made me appreciate it. I'd go back in an instant and do an overnight hike for sure. Otherwise, no. With running, I can cover what takes all day to trek in 1/16th of the time, see all the same sights and get a better workout.

I like hiking. There isn't a lot of room for it in a serious running schedule though. Hikes make for good dates and provide time to talk, Jamin.

Roger Bannister was a hiker. Before he set his record he went on a multi-day hike in the Highlands.