I'm becoming a hobby jogger and I am happy about it.

Categories aside, running is simply a way of life. I'm 40 years in and I dig it.

Who cares if I'm training my butt off or fun running? Fact is, as long as I have days where I get a strong rhythm going for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes, pushing the pace, I'm alive in a way that non-runners will never be.

Well I agree with the things said on this page, bu am I wrong to point out this tendency among runners more generally? To make hierarchies that put themselves higher up than other people based on lines and distinctions that always seem to stop just short of themselves?

and the thing about training hard: it's relative. I ran 45 miles last week. That was pretty hard for me, and my shins and feet were bothering me a bit at the end of it. Friends who don't run think mid 40s is a big commitment but the people I ran Cross with in college obviously put me to shame. perhaps it's a spectrum, or perhaps we can just think less about the categories, less about what other people do and just run.

i agree with the above poster, OP should do what makes him happy. But Flagpole is right, he was a hobby-jogger before the transition, and there's nothing wrong with that.

D.C. runner makes a great point. I have peak experiences as a runner, but it does not make me better than a non-runner.

For example, I will never know the transcendental joy that an intense round of needle point can deliver me to. And I can live with that.

Now that we have a winner, we can get down to brass tax:

1) Hobby - "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation"

2) IF you want to delve outside the above definition (because who the hell needs standard definitions!) then the problem with calling others "hobby joggers" in a derogatory way is that there's no way to determine what the line is if it's NOT getting paid for it. I've seen people here say "well, there's a difference between running 15:45 for 5k and running 23 minutes." Sure there is. The former will win you a local race and the latter won't, but both show hobby running, even if the 15:45 is a woman.

Flagpole wrote:

1) Hobby - "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation"

One could make that point that all runners are hobby runners first, I really doubt there are many professional runners that hated running but immediately made it their job. They were all hobby joggers who starting off running as a hobby and then made it profitable. The very term hobby jogger is just used to put down others in order to make oneself feel better. It's sad that you being proud of your own achievements isn't enough, you have to say you're in a completely different realm then all others.

It only took a couple of post to bring up that the op was a hobby jogger, even before Flagpole posted. It has gone 3 pages because people like to argue with FP no matter what he says, even if it makes them come off as idiots. The use of the label hobby jogger is just the new way to debate weather a person is a jogger or runner. I personly feel that you are either a runner or not a runner, no labels needed.

I think when you're 18-24 this sort of mentality is laughed at. Heck all you have to do is go to class get out at 1 in the afternoon and then you have all day to jog while food is paid for in some measure. Even your first job you still have that drive and ambition to keep pushing.

Eventually though I think life interferes with most of us and while the 18-24 year old us would scoff at their future existence with lines like "quitter" or "you just hobby jog because you can't hack it"....the 25+ us is mature enough to admit they'll never be an olympian, that working, having a family, and not being obsessed with something to that level really makes sense.

I have no issue now admitting that I hobby jog 3-5 miles a day and enjoy running just to run. I can't hack it, I'm not an olympian, and my 5k is insanely slow. I still love running and hate runners world. I get to drink with a group of close friends on friday and sleep in saturday morning. Then jog in the afternoon as my hangover pounds away.

Just be who you want to be. There's nothing wrong with enjoying life, even if that's hammering away doing long runs trying to get some PR that to the running community is slow. It's also not bad to enjoy your life and run on the side.

Flagpole wrote:

Now that we have a winner, we can get down to brass tax:

1) Hobby - "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation"

2) IF you want to delve outside the above definition (because who the hell needs standard definitions!) then the problem with calling others "hobby joggers" in a derogatory way is that there's no way to determine what the line is if it's NOT getting paid for it. I've seen people here say "well, there's a difference between running 15:45 for 5k and running 23 minutes." Sure there is. The former will win you a local race and the latter won't, but both show hobby running, even if the 15:45 is a woman.

Not to be overly pedantic, but I run neither for pleasure nor for relaxation. I run for competition. Do I sometimes find running relaxing? Obviously. Do I find it pleasurable? Often. But neither of those are the reasons I pursue this sport.

I run to run faster. Period.

I'm sure many competitive runners feel the same way. This is why we draw lines. I don't think "hobby jogger" should be used in the derogatory way it is often used, because why the hell should we expect everyone to do things the same way we do them? But if the reason you pursue running is to get faster then you are not a hobbyist.

How about Hobby Cretins? Lot's of them on these boards.

I agree that "Hobby Jogger" is just being used as a put down for anyone not up to the labelers standards.

As an aside, Who should pay more taxes? The rich. Who is rich? Anyone who makes more money than I make.

Back on topic.

Instead of the HJ term I like to categorize runners as either Competitors or Participants. Even with that the line is not crystal clear. One example from another message board was when a mid forties runner was unhappy that he didn't break 18 in a 5k. The poster that followed commented the he should be happy with that time because there are so many runners who can't break 20 and they would love to run as fast as him. The first guy was a competitor, the second a participant.

"Not to be overly pedantic, but I run neither for pleasure nor for relaxation. I run for competition. "

Agree 100%. I race/run to challenge myself against both myself and others in a hugely competitive sport.

When I'm feeling insecure I like to compare running to other sports with similar numbers of competitors - to judge achievement. In the UK that means soccer. I've run 2:33 and am ranked 107th in my event the UK, which equivalates to a top half EPL standard. I see all the fame and glory they get and I think "hey, ive achieved just as much. Just because my sport isn't national news doesnt mean I should feel any less accomplished".

I'll disagree. Are you not pleased when you run faster? If you're not doing it for a vocation, you're a hobbyist.

ryan foreman wrote:

99% of people on this board are hobby joggers.

Are you a professional runner? Do you have a college scholarship to run track or CC?

No?

YOU ARE A HOBBY JOGGER!

This is the answer.

I trained and raced for 25 years. Since then, which is another 15 years, I have been a fun runner. No serious races. No definitive schedule. 20-25 mpw. Even if I could, I have no interest in going back.

Am I pleased when I get faster? Yeah. But that's just a side effect. And I'm often equally disappointed by my performances when I expect more. It's not the pursuit of joy that keeps me going, it's the goddamn thirst. And sometimes I'll do things that make me feel awful if I know they'll help me get faster eventually. The thirst overrides everything else. That is why I know it's something other than a "hobby."

ryan foreman wrote:

99% of people on this board are hobby joggers.

Are you a professional runner? Do you have a college scholarship to run track or CC?

No?

YOU ARE A HOBBY JOGGER!

Now why was that post deleted?

1) You aren't getting paid to do it.2) The "thirst" is just another way to say "enjoyment".We'll have to disagree I guess, because to me you're a hobbyist...you may be a more serious hobbyist than some, but that's it. I don't use that term as a put down either, so don't think I'm just trying to do that. If you're paid you're not a hobbyist. If not, then...hobbyist...in my view.

xenonscreams wrote:

Am I pleased when I get faster? Yeah. But that's just a side effect. And I'm often equally disappointed by my performances when I expect more. It's not the pursuit of joy that keeps me going, it's the goddamn thirst. And sometimes I'll do things that make me feel awful if I know they'll help me get faster eventually. The thirst overrides everything else. That is why I know it's something other than a "hobby."

I think we can all agree that most of us are hobby RUNNERS not hobby JOGGERS . We don't get paid to do it, but we still enjoy it and train hard. Not only when the weather is nice like the hobby-JOGGERS do it.

Flagpole, you're analysis is too narrow and one-dimensional. Once you eliminate all the runners who get paid or are on scholarship, are you going to deny there's a difference in MOTIVATION between those who are left on the starting line?

It should be labeled this way:

1- Professional/Elite

2- Competittor

3- Hobbyist/Participant