Saturday, July 10, 2010

"Hay, You look like a jogger, can I ask you a question?"

On a Friday morning I woke up early and did the run I often do on a Saturday morning. Starting at Grand Army Plaza, I ran down Union to 4th Ave, and then headed over to 3rd Street to cross the Gowanus Canal. Then I took Smith and Court over to the Brooklyn Bridge. I crossed into Manhattan at Chambers St and made a left at the Hudson, hugged the water till I got back to the Brooklyn Bridge and came home via the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. I do this run (or a variation of it) about 2 or 3 weekends a month. It is the "usual run" of the Prospect Park Track Club.


Since I left the house at 6 am instead of the usual 8 am I did not think automobile traffic would be an issue. I was wrong about that; rush hour was starting when I was running home.

The one major obstacle faced on my run was the people. Just as I was running towards theBattery, the Staten Island Ferry was arriving. The hoard of commuters turned my run into a stop. As I fought my way against the minions, a guy giving out free newspapers said to me, "Hey, you look like a jogger. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, but then I have to tell you that I am not a jogger." He wanted to know why he can run for 45 minutes on a treadmill but he can't really run outdoors for 5 minutes. So, I explained that on a treadmill you are just spinning your legs, you are not making the effort to move your body forward, that running on a treadmill is like running down stairs. The treadmill is softer than any outdoor running surface and it is probably in a nice air conditioned gym. I told him that unless you set the treadmill at a serious incline, it is mostly a waste of time



I saw the light bulb go off in his head. In under a minute I was able to teach this man something, "So why can't I call you a jogger?"


"My grandmother was a jogger; it was about the jogging suit and running in circles. Runners are training for events; events where someone says "GO!" and there is a clock at the end. I am a runner. Joggers jog, runners train."


The commuters had all gotten on the subway so he wished me luck on my next race.




3 comments:

  1. So you're saying Runners have a goal and Joggers just have too much time on their hands? I'd never thought about the treadmill like that, so look, you taught two people something!

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  2. I've never run on a treadmill and after this never will!

    I've been following you for a few weeks now - no mention of what you're training for??

    My next event is the Rutland Water. Its a marathon run around a reservoir in the smallest county in England - I've never done a cross country marathon before so its a real challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms, Butterfly,

    I am always training for the NYC Marathon.

    Good luck in the Rutland Water, sounds fun

    ReplyDelete

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