Run Don't Jog

As a lifelong runner, I take it personally anytime anyone starts talking about jogging. Jogging is to running as shuffling is to walking. We may jog during a warm-up or cool-down, just as we may shuffle when drunk. But this does not make us joggers and our sport of choice is not jogging, it is running.

Unfortunately, some people are jogging far more than they should. 430,000 Americans ran a marathon in 2005 and the average finish time was a shuffling 4:45. In 1976, 25,000 Americans ran and the average men's finish time was a brisk 3:32. No wonder runners are constantly injured; most of them today are hardly running.

I encourage anyone who wants to take up a new sport, be it running or rockclimbing, to compete at your level. Race your race, don't just try to finish. If you can only push yourself for 3 miles, enter a 5k race, don't aim for a near death experience in a marathon. There is far more satisfaction to be gained from being a competitor rather than just a participant.

I'll be delivering a webinar on Tuesday on Injury Prevention Strategies for Runners (Live Webinar) , and ran across this rant that I wanted to share with all of you.