Friday, March 9, 2012

At what point do you become a non-beginner?

Of course, when you first start running, you are a novice...you've never tried to run, you've never made it farther than your own block, you simply don't know what you are doing. But at what point, have you graduated from novice/beginner? I suppose this is a philosophical question, as everyone will have their own opinion...but a few things to consider are listed below:

  • You are not a beginner when you do not think of yourself as one.
  • You are not a beginner when you go on a group run and are finally offering guidance to another! 
  • Beginners are on a mission to get better...but then again, we always find a different meaning of "better" so maybe we are always beginning something!
  • Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher are just beginning to compete in internationally-ranked marathons....so I suppose even amazing runners can be considered beginners!
  • When someone calls you 'a beginner' with that tone after you comment on anything running related....and you start defending yourself, you are not a beginner.
  • You pick up a new goal and select a training plan (eg your first half marathon) and the beginning of that training plan has you taking a step back from where you currently are, then you're not a beginner.
  • When you continue running, even though you have just peed a little in your pants (or maybe a lot)...you are a runner.
Do you have anything else to add to this list?  When did you consider yourself no longer a beginner?

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