Jogger

I remember reading this news article about a Chinese runner who died in a hit-and-run accident in Sabah, Malaysia. Having said a silent prayer for Mr. Tong, I took some time to think about how this news relates to me as a runner. It saddens me a lot for a couple of reasons:

1) A driven person like him died while pursuing his passion for running around the globe due to some irresponsible people.
2) More reason to believe that it is not safe to run outside in Malaysia.
3) And finally... the title of the news article: "Find killer, say Chinese jogger’s brothers".

JOGGER?! This man spent a good part of his life hammering concrete, roads and trails with his legs and he is remembered as a JOGGER??? Shouldn't he be called inspiring runner or mega-ultra-long-distance runner? But then again, why am I so angry about the label "jogger"? I never gave that much thought until I started running. Yeah, running. Ask me if I am going for my run and I'll give a big smile and affirm that. But ask me if I am going jogging and you should be running away from this "jogger".

What makes a person a runner or a jogger? Is there a clear distinction between the two? Runner's World has a wiki page that describes jogging but offers no clear conclusion to what the difference is with running. I run most of my runs slower than a 10 minute mile pace so am I technically a jogger? But I don't take my runs to be monotonous or leisurely. I view my runs as valuable time spent improving my speed, distance and most importantly, tuning in to what my body says.

Maybe it's about image. You know, how people who jog tend to be affiliated with sweatpants and headbands. But that's the dorky old man runner's look as discussed in RW Daily. It's running and not jogging!

So here is a question to you runners and non-runners out there: Do you feel offended if someone says that you are a jogger? I'll try to add a poll for this question. Meanwhile, feel free to comment below. Run strong!