{"id":439,"date":"2010-03-17T23:21:45","date_gmt":"2010-03-18T04:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/?p=439"},"modified":"2013-04-26T22:20:55","modified_gmt":"2013-04-27T03:20:55","slug":"if-running-doesnt-make-you-a-runner-what-does","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2010\/03\/if-running-doesnt-make-you-a-runner-what-does\/","title":{"rendered":"If running doesn’t make you a runner, what does?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sometime after I had run the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon<\/a>, I made reference to “real runners,” which did not include myself. One of the people with whom I was talking stopped, looked at me, and said, “You just ran a half marathon. What do you mean real runners?” I do not recall my response.<\/p>\n

After all, that is not the moment when you go into your whole long history of wanting to run, starting to run, and then failing to make it happen. That is not the moment to say, “Yeah, I’ve kind of sucked at that whole one foot in front of the other thing.<\/p>\n

Adding “runner” to my identity didn’t happen after three road races nor with a subscription to Runner’s World<\/a>. It didn’t click after I took a run in the snow (and if you know me, you know how I feel about cold, and about moisture), and felt like “Oh wow, is beautiful out here. I feel like I’m in a glittery winter wonderland snow globe”. It didn’t click after I spent a significant chunk of change on pants designed for running in cold temperatures. Owning a reflective vest, a head light, a blinking light and these over-the-shoe contraptions didn’t do it either. Even registering for a marathon<\/a> didn’t really make me feel like I could call myself a runner.<\/p>\n

Humiliation, however did. In my running fantasies, I would gain all of this endurance, and become thin. I dreamed of thighs that don’t even think about touching each other during a run. I gained endurance. I am thinner, but apparently, my thighs are affectionate and like to show their affections to each other. The thigh thing doesn’t matter if you have on pants, but if you are wearing shorts it could come into play, especially if you are running long distances. For me, it becomes a chafing issue somewhere around mile 5.<\/p>\n

Over a year into my running endeavor, I give in and accept the thigh thing will likely always be an issue for me and take comfort in the fact that there are products specifically designed to help with these issues. Like Bodyglide<\/a>. I poked around on the Internet and saw that a drugstore sold the product online. So, reeling from the pain I inflicted upon myself by running past the no chafe zone, I went to a branch of that drugstore to look for the product.<\/p>\n

Now, drugstores intimidate me because of the sheer variety of a number of products, many of which I don’t like to think about\u00a0 much less ponder their subtle differences. So, Alex and I are walking through aisle after aisle until I decide that I am going to ask someone. So, I approach the pharmacist and ask him if they carry Bodyglide<\/a>. His eyes bulged a bit as he struggled to maintain his professional demeanor though he had already indulged a quick glance toward the young child in my care. Noticing his apparent surprise, I hastily added, “it’s for sports.” His eyebrows returned to their default position and he told me which aisle it would be in if they had it at all.<\/p>\n

That is the day that I really came to see myself as a runner. I will only surrender my pride and allow people to think that I am looking for personal lubricants during the dinner hour with my son in tow for an activity that I have come to love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometime after I had run the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon, I made reference to “real runners,” which did not include myself. One of the people with whom I was talking stopped, looked at me, and said, “You just ran a half marathon. What do you mean real runners?” I do not recall my response.… Continue reading If running doesn’t make you a runner, what does?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[],"tags":[10,11],"class_list":["post-439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-exercise","tag-running","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p33KTw-75","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4790,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2016\/06\/thats-right-i-used-to-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":0},"title":"That’s Right, I Used To Run","author":"admin","date":"June 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was much, much younger, we're talking half my age, I entertained all of these fantasies of running. I held on to them for years and years. The year I turned thirty, I decided that it was time to either start running or let the dream fall to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"running\"","block_context":{"text":"running","link":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/tag\/running\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sweaty mess","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/c1.staticflickr.com\/8\/7337\/27787868976_42e23a3c7e_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":326,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2009\/10\/half-marathon\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":1},"title":"Half Marathon!","author":"admin","date":"October 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I sit before my computer several hours after I ran my very first half marathon. In fact, a mere 14 hours ago, I was in the car, on my way to Detroit. The half marathon was the third road race in which I participated. When it is just you and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"31 goals\"","block_context":{"text":"31 goals","link":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/tag\/31-goals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/100_2518-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1235,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2011\/10\/goal-4-finish-a-marathon\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":2},"title":"Goal 4: Finish a Marathon","author":"admin","date":"October 17, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I did it! Usually, as some weird function of my personality when I accomplish a goal of some sort, I day or think something to diminish that goal. Today was not that day. I set the goal of finishing a marathon last year, but did not make that happen. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DSCN2328-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2609,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2013\/05\/5-months-later-and-i-need-a-plan\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":3},"title":"5 months later and I need a plan","author":"sherlonya","date":"May 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is one of those times where if I had done what I said I was going to do, I would have seen some results by now. But I didn\u2019t do that. However, what I need is a plan. I \u2026 Continue reading \u2192","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5581,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/risograph-workshop\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":4},"title":"Risograph Workshop","author":"sherlonya","date":"October 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been interested in risograph printing for a little bit. I'm not sure exactly when the interest cropped up, but I do know that following Kate Bingaman-Burt's work applied the bellows to the ember of interest here.\u00a0 This is the part where I could talk about the challenges of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "goals"","block_context":{"text":"goals","link":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/category\/goals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/risophoto.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":75,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2009\/02\/sunday-is-for-resting-dough\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":5},"title":"Sunday is for resting dough","author":"admin","date":"February 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I have this crazy fantasy of being all Ma Ingalls and making all of the food that my family needs and sewing clothes and just being that ultimate mother figure that Karen Grassle evoked as she played Caroline. I am sure that Michael Landon figures in there somewhere in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "alex"","block_context":{"text":"alex","link":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/category\/family\/alex\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sherlonya kneading bread dough","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/100_1022-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2404,"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439\/revisions\/2404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}