When Did I Become a Runner?

When did I become a runner? When was the shift made? When did I move from simply running... from being someone who runs... to being a runner?

I thought about this today as I ran through the woods... a light mist washing over my face... the soft earth yielding softly under each stride... the smell of clean air and rich soil filling my senses. When did I become a runner? And for that matter, what is it that makes a person a runner?

It's funny. When I started running back some 6 or 7 months ago I never intended on becoming a runner. I just needed to loose weight. I had been going to the gym three times a week for about a month and decided to add a little running into the mix. Actually, it started off as walking. I couldn't run--too fat and out of shape. But soon I worked up to running a little--a minute or two--then a little more, and then a little more. I'm up to about 18 miles a week now, and slowly building as I prepare for a half-marathon in April. So when did I make the switch? When did I become a runner.

Was it when I did my first race? Is that when I became a runner? Or is it when my per mile pace finally dropped into the 8 minute range? I've heard people say that you're really not a runner until you are running in the 8 minute per mile range. Up until then you're just a jogger (or maybe just some one who goes out for a jog).

But you know, that doesn't work for me. I think there's something more. Being a runner is more than about performance and times. It's about more than pace. Being a runner is about more than races and training strategies. And the more I think about it, the more I think it has something to do with identity. The more I think about it, the more I think it has something to do with that word "being."

Identity is powerful. We tend to become what we identify with. That's when I think I became a runner--when I began calling myself as a runner... when I started to think of myself as a runner... when I identified myself as a runner, that's when I became a runner.

It wasn't an overnight thing. It didn't happen all of a sudden. It was a process. As I ran more and more, that running started to change me. I did loose weight--a lot of weight. But it also started to change me in ways I hadn't counted on. Moods, outlook, emotions, these all were changed as I ran. I found I could deal with things better. My mind was clearer, more focused. I had more energy. All these things (and more) changed as I ran. And soon I discovered that I was a runner.

Paul says in one of his letters to one of the early churches, "I identified myself completely with him [Christ]. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not 'mine,' but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going back on that" (Galatians 2.20-21, The Message).