Not a jogger....

Whew! Half marathon training is officially in taper mode. Woo hoo! I have to admit, I have really enjoyed this round of training. It helps that my dear friend Julia has been willing to trudge along with me on my long runs and that I have my treadmill for mid-week runs. There are a lot of things different this go-around than my last half. There is a blog post brewing about that, but today I want to talk about a comment that has stuck with me from my last long run.

12 miles. We've got this! 

(Both of us started the run with upset stomachs and not REALLY ready for 12 miles....)

3 miles in....this blows! I'm tired. My legs hurt. Zero motivation.

THEN.... We saw other runners. A huge group.

THEN....We saw a sign for the Tacoma City Marathon letting neighbors know that their street was going to be closed in 2 weeks for a race. For our race! 

THEN...We were super motivated once again. The runners. The sign. The race. We got this!

9 miles in and we are feeling strong. 

THEN....it started to rain. It started to hail. The wind started to blow. 
We got cold and wet VERY quickly.

Stopping under a bus stop to make a plan. 

Do we call someone to get us? No, we'll be back to the car by the time they get back.

We refuel and talk ourselves into continuing. 

THEN....the sweet older lady, who was also at the bus stop, started to comment on our lack of rain gear (umbrella, jacket, etc). 

THEN she said it, "Oh, are you guys joggers". We said yes and took off.

I thought about that a lot. 

No, I'm not a jogger. I'm a runner.

I run slow, but I'm still a runner.

I've "only" run a half, but I'm still a runner.

I tend to discount my running with words like "only" and "slow". 

Not to offend any joggers out there, but there is a commitment that comes with what I do that moves me (in my own little opinion) from jogger to runner.

I am a runner.

How about you?

~Kari