I am on W3D2 and REALLY proud of myself. I have never been a runner and have always wanted to be and at 288 pounds I am now able to run 3 minute stretches easily because of C25K and can't wait until Friday to try 5 minutes.

At this point I'm not really sure of my intentions....will I ever enter races? I don't know. My goal is and always has been to be able to run for 30 minutes or longer.

I am really liking my treadmill. I don't feel like people are staring at me, I don't have top worry about wind or heat-it's working for ME.

So I was talking to a few people today who have been outdoor runners most of their lives. Regular 10K athletes. When I brought up the C25K that I am doing they all congratulate me and seemed impressed-until they asked me where I ran and I said my living room.

One of them told me that I had chosen the easy route and would never be a real runner.

Is this a popular conception amongst runners? If I chose to stay mainly indoors does my effort not count?

I'm not a runner, never have been, never will be. (I have luxor patella and I'm not planning on challenging it.) I think that you are a runner. I don't get why where you run would matter.

And since when is the easy route the "wrong route"? Isn't the best route the one that gets you to your goal? Not the one where you end up battered and beaten on the side of the road?

I admire what you are doing. Don't let anyone diminish the scope of your accomplishments.

Who cares what they think? I'm doing couch to 5k too, and I don't think it's "easy".

Right, because Jim Fixx is looking down from heaven, and he Sees & Hears All, and he only sends rainbows down occasionally to bless The Chosen Few, the True Runners, and to qualify as a True Runner, you need to run on the side of the road. Or in the middle of the road. For 46 miles. Every day. And wear the right pants. And sweat the correct amount. And have a heart monitor strapped to your upper arm. And get three other True Runners to vouch for you. And also your neighborhood independent athletic footwear shop. Yeah, you need a certificate from them, too.

Otherwise, I'm afraid you're just doomed, Nantucket. It will never happen for you.

[/ALT Sarcasm]

i have done both indoor and outdoor running and agree on one fact...it is harder to run outside as opposed to on a treadmill. but before i did c25k i couldn't run at all and since can run for 45 minutes straight on treadmill and yes it is running. if you decide to run outside that is your choice and doesn't make you any less of a running for using the treadmill it is still a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself and not let others opinions bring you down.

Thanks ladies...oh and saef-thanks for making me laugh so hard I spilled my tea, lol

Glad you aren't letting their crazy comment get you down.

Yes, running on a treadmill is slightly easier than on the road. Some people put 1% incline to offset it when the workout inside vs working out outside.

But running is running! You rock on!

That's unfortunate that an experienced runner would offer scorn rather than encouragement to a beginner. That's sad.

A.

Why the heck would anyone ever say anything so dumb? I just don't get people sometimes. He/she is an idiot. Really.

Honestly, I find treadmill running harder than anything else, so in my world you ARE a REAL runner. ( And my husband will tell you that MY world is the only one that counts!!!)

As people have said it is harder to run outside. I don't have the luxury of a treadmill right now, and HAVE to run outside, and sometimes I long for the comfort of a treadmill. BUT the stupid thing is if you can run on a treadmill you can run outside...so I don't get what they are saying...you might not be able to run as long or as hard, but running is running.
I think you should be so proud of yourself, and just realize these people probably just don't get how huge of an accomplishment it truly is! Go girl!!

I must fully disagree...it is SO much harder to run on a treadmill! Go to runnersworld.com forums, and you'll see many of them griping about it. It's so boring, I can go MUCH further outside than I can inside.

I think it's awesome you're doing it, and ignore them!!

Yeah, Nantucket, we both had a laugh there, but this really pushes one of my buttons.

You read these message boards like I do, and you see the many people who post here because they want to take up exercise to improve their health & to lose weight. Some of them are rather shy & inhibited. One of their greatest fears is ridicule & scorn. They are afraid the so-called Real Athletes will feel disdain toward them or make fun of them. They are afraid this will happen at the gym, or while they are running or walking in public, in a park or on sidewalks or pathways, where they have every right to be. They are afraid of someone making a remark like the one you got -- that they aren't True Runners or True Elliptical Users or True Treadmill Runners, or True Whatevers, and that no matter how much they pretend, or work, in the only way they are currently capable of doing, it's hopeless, they'll never achieve that blessed True state. Worries like that actually DO prevent people from trying things that might help them. Like running. Or any other physical activity.

This is why such comments irk me. Because they don't make allowance for beginners or for people who do what they can or who have to work with various kinds of limitations.

Also, there's no humility in such a remark. Where is this guy in the hierarchy of runners? He does 10Ks. So would a marathoner look down on him & say he's not a True Runner? What about the Kenyan guys who train at a state preserve near me & are working toward being Olympic qualifiers? Would they consider him a True Runner?

If you run regularly, I'd say you're a runner.

There are obligations to being a Runner, I agree. To me, those would be following the right etiquette for wherever you run -- whether that be gym etiquette on the treadmill, or track etiquette, or road etiquette. I also think runners should encourage other runners, but that's a nice-to-have.

I am still shaking my head in disbelief that a person who had a passion for something (running) would EVER say something to another human being who was starting out at something with a desire to get better.

I am still shaking my head, but now my mouth is hanging wide open...

My thoughts before opening the thread, as I anticipated your dilemma were that the person should "mind their own business." I actually now feel a bit of pity for the person whocould be so full of themselves that they would never be able to understand what an egotistical jerk they really are. So sorry! It's not you!

well said DITTO!!!!!

Let me link you to my other thread...

The guy featured in this race runs the majority of his miles on a treadmill. I think he would be considered by most to be a real runner

Personally, I would laugh in his face and say "Well, what do you know, I had no idea I was imaginary. Thanks for pointing that out to me."

This is ridiculous - and people have all sorts of crazy ideas about "real" in so many areas of life.

I've heard so many "You're not a real ______, unless you _________."

And most of the time it's bullsh.... well you know what I mean. And usually I use some form of the "imaginary" comment (and the reaction it gets is usually pretty funny, as a bonus).