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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Poll: What qualifies someone as a "runner" or "athlete"?
Are the terms inter-changeable to you?
Me: I've been running for less than a year so I hesitate. But I run multiple times a week and I've done a 5k, 10k and a half with another coming. So I guess I feel okay calling myself a runner. But I don't know that I would extend it to "athlete".
For people in general I would say anyone who runs on a regular basis regarless of the distance is a "runner" and anyone who devotes themselves to excelling in a sport is an athlete.
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Re: Poll: What qualifies someone as a "runner" or "athlete"?
Runner = someone who runs. Whether it's 1x per week or daily, I would call someone I saw running a runner.
Athlete = someone who participates in sports. So runners are athletes, but not all athletes are runners. KWIM?
(LOL, I sound like I'm writing a word problem for the ACT)
Athletes are those who participate in sports. Runners are those that run.
Edited: Runners are athletes but athletes are not necessarily runners.
Southeastern Cycling
My Nest Bio and Cycling Advice
So anyone who plays a sport is an athlete? Running is a sport, so does that mean all runners are athletes.
I think so. Some are better athletes than others but all are athletes.
Definition of ATHLETE
I think the "training" part of this definition is pretty crucial to the definition.
Trained OR skilled.
I agree with you fmlb. I think there are athletic runners, but not all runners are athletes. And (puts on flame suit) not all people who engage in sports are athletes. But all people who run are runners.
Yes,I'm smiling...I'm a marathoner!
Bloggy McBloggerson
CO Nestie Award Winner-Prettiest Brain-Back to Back!
2011 Bests
5K-22:49 10K-47:38 Half Mary-1:51:50
2012 Race Report
1/1-New Year's 5K-22:11
2/11-Sweetheart Classic 4-mile-29:49
3/24-Coulee Chase 5K-21:40
5/6-Colorado Marathon-4:08:30
5/28-Bolder Boulder 10K
I think I mostly agree with you. To me, "athlete" usually means someone who competes in a sport - this applies whether you're a racing cyclist, racing runner, play professional anything, or play in the local <insert team sport here> league. However, "athletic" can be used to describe anyone who is reasonably fit but doesn't compete, as in "that girl has an athletic build".
If you go running on a fairly regular basis, you could be called a runner. You might also be an athlete if you run competitively (even at a low-key local 5k) or play another sport.
For me there's also a distinction between "running" and "jogging" - to me, jogging is slower, and usually the person doing it doesn't care how fast they're going. Running is faster and more purposeful (e.g. training for a race). Slow and fast are relative terms of course, and the same person can go for runs and jogs.
to me, an athlete is more of a mind thing than a physical thing.
anyone who runs is a runner though - i think its a pretty vague term. if you run 2 miles a day, you are just as much of a runner as someone who runs 12.
Yeah. I think the skill part is also a pretty crucial part of the definition as well.
The literature is starting to strongly support that raw, natural "talent" is strongly overrated by people and what is a stronger contributor to great performances is "Training" or more specifically deliberate practice--which has a distinct definition and--Ironically is often employed in athletic pursuits--but if you are training on your own--it can become difficult to meet the standards of deliberate practice and thus be "trained" as an athlete. (In a side bar, there are quite a few elite runners who ARE self-coached but they are the minority and they also did NOT start out as self-coached, but that's another story)
If you aren't properly trained, you won't maximize your natural skills. See how it's that whole cyclical thing going on?
When I first read that question, I thought the same as PP. But then I had to think about myself and where I land. I don't consider myself a runner, as it is not my exercise of choice. And I do not compete. I do not wish to race against anyone but myself, nor do I play team sports. But I spin, I lift, I roller blade, and when the weather is perfect, run
. If an athlete is someone who competes, what about those of us that don't? What are we called?
Active? Athletic? I was hesitating to call myself a runner, but I have done 3 half marathons (2 more in 2 months) and run about 25-30 miles a week. I guess I becoming more of a runner. I don't know if I am an athlete, but I think joining my running group where we are being pushed, trained, etc., I feel more athletic.
I also think of athletes are specifically training for a specific activity- the Wednesday night softball game followed by a beer? That's an activity, but I'm not sure that would make you an athlete in the same way as training with a team/ coach on a high school team.
so how good do you have to be in order for you to consider someone a swimmer?
i really cant imagine thinking, "well you only bike 18mph so you are not a cyclist" or "you only run a 12 min mile so you are not a runner." Those people are just as much cyclists and runners as I am.
If someone goes to the pool regularly and swims lap, I consider them a swimmer even if they are not good.
Now, if they literally are floating in the sun then of course that is different
I don't consider myself a runner, because I'm not as good at running as I am at swimming. I have no problem calling myself a swimmer. I work hard, I train hard at swimming. Running not so much.
I would even call myself a cyclist over a runner as well.