Do serious runners, generally speaking, dislike hiking?

Seriousrunnerandhiker wrote:

roller coaster wrote:

No offense but 30-40 mpw is not serious running, and is under-training for a marathon - and your non-BQ marathon time reflects that.

And, congrats on your impressive 1,000k PR, but 1000 kms in 10 days is essentially hiking, not running, which kinda proves the point.

I would describe you as a serious hiker who dabbles in running.

Thanks but what are your PRs? They must be super impressive.

I know a lot of runners. Here are two that I know:

Seth: former 14:xx 5,000m runner. Currently runs 15-20mpw and runs 16:xx 5k. He is NOT a serious runner. Running isn’t one of his top three hobbies and he only runs a few days each week. No track work.

Tom: 17:30 lifetime PR. Now a masters runner. Runs 50-70mpw and focuses serious time and mental energy on the sport. Currently in 1:35 half marathon shape. Loves the sport. Serious runner.

Don’t confuse seriousness with talent.

I would say yes and no. I like to go hiking with my wife and our small son because it's something we can all do together and I enjoy being in the outdoors regardless of if it's meandering through the woods or sprinting around half naked with the wind in my hair...with that being said, if I am by myself I would much prefer the half naked sprint.

America's fury wrote:

Bulk Hogan wrote:

It’s objective: A 3:00 marathoner (or 2:45 for that matter) is nowhere near serious as a runner like a sub 15 min 5ker.

Either one of those runners may be serious, but neither of them are elite, sub-elite, nor sub-sub-elite.

One of them is if they are women.

@Jamin -

FWIW living in the Seattle area - a hike that could just be run? Hate it.

A hike that is 750+ ft/mile gain? yeah, I'm hiking, and I'll probably like it because I can't run it so it is something different

It's a yes and no. In a base phase (usually in the Winter), hiking is nice, no bugs or ticks, a good time to recharge and relax. In the Summer, it's not fun to be in the woods where I live in Mo, and you are probably doing the LR or racing.

As you get older, racing becomes less a focus and hiking is a nice supplement to what running and training you can still do. Eventually, we will all be walking and not running- just like we walk before we run.

Running hard in the trails when you are older too can be risky-as I have found out, but easy runs on buffed out trails can be enjoyable for sure. The trails out West are really nice to run on and don't hide bad footing under leaves.

Having grown up enjoying being out in the woods of central Illinois since I was 11 years old, when I had just joined Boy Scouts, I still get that same enjoyment out of being in the woods, whether hiking or running. At age 55 I still train around 40-45 miles per week, mostly with the high school CC and Track runners that I coach. I still think like the serious competitive runner that I have been, though I haven't really raced in about 8 years due to nagging injuries. Any walk/hike/run in the woods is much more enjoyable than a walk/hike/run on the roads for me.

When I was in my 20's and early 30's, I loved hiking the Columbia Gorge and Mt Adams as it was very easy due to the type of training that I did (lots of hills with my tempo runs and long Sunday runs). I also feel very fortunate to do that back then because I would not encounter many people as there was much less population pressure.

These activities are not mutually exclusive. One can enjoy both. I do.

I fall somewhere in the middle. I don’t do any strenuous hiking that would take away from my training or risk injury. However I do enjoy going for hikes that aren’t strenuous just to relax, reflect, and rejuvenate.

No.

Some Olympics back the Japanese female marathoners spent the first year of preparation in Colorado hiking in the mountains for hours with heavy packs. They did no running at all. Hiking is good for building strength.

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.

I disagree and believe some of your points are inaccurate.

For many years I considered myself a serious runner (avg over 70 mile/week, marathon pr 2:27)

But I also liked to hike and did some extended backpacking trips.

Hiking did not feel inefficient to me. The goals and experiences of runs and hikes differed. Running-focus internal, improving fitness. Hiking-focus more external, experience surroundings.

Your experience running over a route will differ from your experience walking over a route. If your sole goal is to cover a route as quickly as possible yes run. But you will miss many other experiences by doing that.

Certainly there are times when it is prudent for serious runners to avoid or at least limit significant other activity, such as just before a big race and/or in the final phases of sharpening/peaking. Otherwise hiking is fine and can contribute to overall running fitness. Unless you are doing things like trying to summit Everest, the injury risk from hiking is low.

As someone who may have been obsessed with running I would also do some strides and short pickups most days when I was backpacking. But that did not stop me from hiking.

I and many other serious runners I know are far from anhedonic.

Unless you do all your runs repeatedly around the same track or road loop, and/or always just follow behind other runners in a group, there is mental overhead involved in running also. Serious runners can't focus on running all the time. Doing other things helps one better focus on running when it is time to run.

If you only want to get from A to B as fast as possible, run don't hike.

Is there a single person under 30 who doesn't love hiking?

I guess the OP ain’t never Hurd a gallo walkin

Serious runners may hate hiking. But the not-as-serious runners are always yammering about bears and snakes and botflies and hornets and other stuff you meet while hiking, so I think they enjoy it.

Common Nothings wrote:

These activities are not mutually exclusive. One can enjoy both. I do.

+2

I hate running

It cuts into my serious hiking!

Is there a firum for serious hikers?

anhedonic - incapable of feeling pleasure.

You need to seek psychiatric help to find pleasure in life. I don't say this to be mean.

Hiking isn't for everyone, but as someone else said it is very different from running. You move slower, you see more, you relax while still demanding something physically. You can cover more ground over varied terrain by hiking because you can hike for 8 hours a day. You might run 90min per day on tough terrain, but you aren't carrying gear to spend the night so you are limited in what you might see and experience.

I ran D1 CC and Track. I hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail on summer breaks. I have continued competitive running all these years up through masters national championships and stayed pretty competitive. I have hike the John Muir Trail and many other overnight or multi day loops in the Sierras, AZ, etc. I have climbed mountains in the US, Europe and South America. These things are very different and give me joy in different ways.

Running won't last forever in most people's lives so finding other outlets for a similar feeling is always a good thing.

If you hate hiking, don't do it. But find joy in something.

Just Another LRC Idiot wrote:

Kvothe wrote:

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.

He is rationalizing that he is not getting a date because he dislikes hiking.

Of course, that has nothing to do with hiking.

Haha I read the first page of this thread and one thing all the posts seem to have in common is that in none of them does anyone mention other people other than themselves except for one where the author speaks condescendingly about normies. How about other people. Usually when people who aren't a$$ hole runners hike, it's a social thing that people do together and usually a big part of it is snacks and lunch, having conversations about things, taking selfies and stuff like that. They're not trying to win the hike and get a medal.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Serious runners may hate hiking. But the not-as-serious runners are always yammering about bears and snakes and botflies and hornets and other stuff you meet while hiking, so I think they enjoy it.

This