The lovely room service lady at the hotel said that she’d seen me jogging in the mornings keeping you healthy she said. How nice of her to say so and I should be very pleased.
So this is the thing - the term jogger conjours up in my mind a tanned young 20 something in full make up and ponytail swinging barely breaking into a sweat let alone breathing hard.
I’ve worked blooming hard to be called a runner by Sarah, anyone else over 60 will agree that this journey is a huge achievement for us never run older folk (actually a huge achievement for everyone else too) so the fact that I’m out there red faced, sweating copiously and breathing like a steam train deserves to called a runner not a jogger.
That said it’s only a word and the lady has no idea how I feel about it. So tell me good folks on here am I a jogger ? What’s the difference and does it really matter anyway?
Written by
LookNannyruns
Graduate
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Not really thought about it but I suppose those labels are pretty interchangeable... although according to Google "The obvious difference between the two is the pace. Jogging is defined as going at a pace of less than 6 mph, while running is defined as anything faster than 6 mph" so it really should be running 👍😁
So I must be a jogger and not a runner then? Because 6mph = just under 10 km per hour, and I am definitely not running at that pace. That would imply that I could run 5K in half an hour, and at my present speed I would run 5K in about 45 minutes.
I suppose it doesn't matter - I thought the idea of the programme was to "run" for the times set, and build up stamina, etc. But am a bit gutted to learn that I'm not a runner, although I "ran" for 20 minutes yesterday.
Sorry, I'm feeling a bit grumpy (can you tell) and fed up. I know this doesn't matter in the end. I guess I can work on speed if and when I get to graduate.
No not grumpy, I know what you mean. What I tel myself al the time that it doesn’t really matter that I often ‘run’ a a pace equal to a brisk walk but most of the time I really don’t care. I am out there not walking for 30 mins at a time and that’s good enough for me . Graduation will be yours.... I’m not sure that I really want to be faster if it means I won’t keep doing it regularly
Yes you're right. Running or jogging or whatever you want to call it is different from walking, and I know I am building up my stamina and fitness. I kind of wish I hadn't started measuring my distance and speed, because until recently I have been constantly thrilled by the fact that I can "run" for the times that my coach (Sarah Millican) tells me to.
You’re a runner and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I can't run at above 6mph either and I graduated 6 months ago and have got faster. But I’m over 50 and now run regularly 10kms. I don’t hear of anyone going for 10km jogs, or 5km jogs.
So I am with you 100% - you ran yesterday, you ran the run before that and the one before that, you run, we run. I’m beginning to think we should ban the ‘j’ word on here...
Thank you Jancanrun. For some stupid reason I have started to feel that what I've done so far isn't worth much because I am going too slowly. I wish I hadn't started measuring distance and speed!
Hey fellow ‘j’ - it’s one of the problems I think that sometimes ‘non-runners’ have a definition in mind of what’s a runner and it’s usually Usain or Mo or Paula beeping Ratcliffe. I love them all (sorry Paula for the beep!) but the issue is that human beings love labels, so you’re either fast like Usain, fast and long distance like Mo, or a marathon runner like Paula. There is no ‘runnerometer’ that we have to measure ourselves against. Please never think that you’re going too slowly - some of the best running is slow running, because it gives you stamina and that stamina in turn helps you with speed, if speed is what you want.
Well Jan, I'd just like to say, and if anyone else is listening, this forum has more wise people on it than any other I know of. And that definitely includes the Government. So perhaps you should be running the country!
Anyway, I absolutely agree with what you say - I've been so thrilled with the stamina I've been able to build up, and that has been through slow running. 5 weeks ago I had difficulty with 60 seconds - now I can run for 20 minutes. That's a small miracle for me, and has reaped a lot of mental as well as physical benefits.
Yay! I'm a runner after all! Not sure why I'm so grouchy - a bit worried about the snow and whether it's going to delay my start to Week 6, which I plan to start on Friday. Straining at the leash! Which is crazy - I'm the laziest person you could imagine. Sorry to be a bit precious about things - just worried that I am going too slowly.
I’ve decided that there is no too slowly because I’m there with you. Then I asked myself too slowly for what? I’m not running to catch a bus,running in the Olympics (😆as if) running away from anything I’m just taking my walks up a notch and feeling pretty proud of my self.
I know! I've just been out to the shops and it's absolutely awful out there, but I'm still trying to work out where I might be able to run tomorrow. Crazy indeed!
Watch out! You’ll be dreaming about it soon as I did the other night.. scary how it has got into my inner me 😲
In my grumpy old woman moments I’d have told her to jog off! But in my more reasoned running karma mode, we run.
I know there are all sorts of debates about speed and I think the ‘speed’ for running is 6 miles per hour or more, but that doesn’t account for age or distance.
And besides which Mr Smooth (Michael Johnson - told me I was a runner) and he is an Olympian who most definitely ran. So his definition works for me.
There are two forms of human perambulation - walking gait and running gait. However it is indisputable that there are various forms of running - for example, there is sprinting and hurdling -- and jogging. I don't think anybody would be insulted by being thought of as a sprinter. I have heard it said that the only difference between a jogger and a runner is a race bib!!
My mother persists in asking me if I've been jogging. I don't know why she does this given that she lives with two runners and never talks about them 'jogging' (and don't wish to hazard a guess) So she gets a Paddington Bear stare and "No, I've been for a run"
I sometimes wonder if it’s an age thing, I don’t think that if I were under 30 anyone would say anything but I see you’ve been for a run. But because I’m in my dotage they can’t quite what they see as anything but an aged jogger .still it’s better than being invisible which I usually am 👵 😶
Running is what I do when I am doing 100 to 400m as fast as I can. Very occasionally I run 800m but usual by that distance I would be jogging. Anything from 1k upwards is jogging. If I can talk, even in short sentences between breaths, then it's jogging.
Basically in the late 90's the term jogging fell out of favour - a bit like discos changing to clubs - everyone wanted to disassociate with jogging as its was seen as a bit naff.
Whereas the term running conjoured up more of a elite, professional feel. People who ran wore better gear, took it more seriously in their diet, went to races, worked on PBs, splits, etc. It was a change in mindset
Now, people have started to try and define the difference in terms of the speed which people run, which basically says only the faster people are runners - absolute poppycock, and insulting to boot. Marathons are a slower pace, but I have never heard of anyone jogging a marathon
Running is just the thing we used to call jogging. Language moves on.
you are so right of course and being of the older era my association is negative. Daft isn’t it? Words can have such a positive/negative effect depending on how you feel . Too many mind games , I should stick to running and my music 😊
Yes you are right, I guess I wouldn’t even have started this post if the comment to me had been ‘I saw you out running . At least she saw me doing wahatever I was doing and actually was paying me a compliment . Thanks for bringing back to Earth 🙂
It would have annoyed me. My boyfriend occasionally tries to wind me up when I am getting ready to go out by saying “Off for a little jog are we?!” I reply, yes, do you want to come? Just doing a 5k today.” He visibly pales. 😂😂😂
As I’ve got further through the programme I’ve often stumbled over my words telling people that “I can now run (well really it’s a jog or a shuffle) for x amount of time.” I used to feel like a bit of a fraud because I’m so slow and it was only for short periods so surely that isn’t running? Now I quite frankly don’t give a rats ar*e what word I use. I can run/jog/shuffle for 28 minutes without stopping and I’m damn proud of it 😃😃😃.
I completely understand why the comment got your back up but it came from a positive place so enjoy the compliment and keep RUNNING 😃
Thanks, you are so right , I too make all sorts of follow up remarks to the I ran today statement. But now I’ve realised that if I’m speaking to a fellow runner they don’t care how fast ,slow, far I’m running they are just really pleased I’ve joined the club. If it’s to a non runner then I have nothing to prove to them after all . So yes I will keep running and smiling too as I’m sure you are also doing 🙂
Laurel you are a runner! I’m a runner! We are all runners here! This could be our mantra? 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️😀😀 hee! hee!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
What’s on your running playlist?
The snail trying to jog week 4 run 1
The long walk/jog/run back.
Week 6 run 3 shuffle jog!
Should I be trying to jog/run faster at Wk6?
