Keeping up with the running joneses

I read a very interesting blog today about keeping up with running peeps or at least comparing yourself and, inevitably, determine that you are either not good or not worthy of calling yourself a runner. Ahhh... the mere word can send shiver down your spine doesn't it? What determine a runner?

Obviously, someone who run is a runner but what about someone who does the Jeff Galloway method of running/walking? This method has proven to have enabled runners to go longer distances. Yet, some "runners" scoff at the mere mention of "taking a break" like it's a failure. You are, in their eyes, not worthy of calling yourself a runner (yes, I have seen it posted in a running group on Facebook, needless to say, I left the group). Well, to this I say "fuck you"...

Yes, it can be frustrating to try breaking the magic numbers: the 30 minutes for a 5k, 60 minutes for a 10k, 2 hour for a half and that ever elusive 4 hour for a marathon... for new runners, these are the benchmarks of what constitute a "good runner". If you take longer than that, you're not as good. You're good but not "as good/fast as x person or the average". While I was totally happy that I broke the mark for the 5k and the 10k, it certainly didn't mean I was "bad" before and I suddenly became "good". No, it meant that my training went well, the conditions were perfect, I pushed myself to get there. But I was good before and I'm still good after :)

I don't compare myself to other runners. I tend to do it in other areas but not running. Someone runs a 3:30 marathon and I am happy to hear of her accomplishment. I joke around but I'm not envious. Why should I be? I don't care that they are 1 1/2 hour faster than me. So be it :)  I am me, a runner and now, a marathoner. But it does bug me when someone says "oh such and such person did a x time at their race and I "ONLY" did x time" I want to slap them, tell them that instead of bemoaning how much slower they did and/or more improvement they should do, they should rejoice in the knowledge that they are doing something that is fantastic and they should be very proud of it.

Now if I could apply this to my other life I'd be golden :)