Here is a small snapshot of my mental checklist:
- people that pay money to go on group runs around the city
- people who run every day aimlessly at a nonsense pace (you will think to yourself "how do they find the time to do such a boring run at such a slow pace every day". you need to know the person for this point to hold)
- anybody who actively trains for a Spartan race (entering on a whim between seasons and trouncing the competition doesn't count)
- anybody that wears shorts over their running tights (some counterpoints exists. ie high school runners not knowing any better)
- people who are taking pictures of 'nature' on a completely average day (you know it is average because you've been crushing that loop for years)
- people that have seen you training for years around the area, come up to you and talk about how THEY are trying to BQ (note: even if they BQ... they are still a hobby jogger)
I've been honing my hawk-like hobby jogger eye for a long time. The first reply was the truth.
Don't get me wrong. I like hobby joggers. They clap for me when I'm collecting that hardware.