If you want to see a runner’s jaw tighten, just casually refer to them as a “jogger.” Among many in the running community, it’s the equivalent of calling a chef a “home cook.” It’s not inherently insulting, but it lands with a thud—an implication that you’re not quite serious, not quite fast, not quite real.
But here’s the thing: there’s absolutely nothing wrong with jogging. In fact, we should start using the word more—and with pride.
For decades, “jogging” was how most of the world referred to recreational running. The word had its boom in the 1960s and ’70s, when people like Bill Bowerman helped introduce the idea of fitness running to the general public. Back then, jogging wasn’t something to be embarrassed by—it was revolutionary. It meant reclaiming your health, taking your fitness into your own hands, and doing something positive for your body and mind.
So how did “jogger” become such a derogatory term?
Over time, as running became more competitive and performance-driven, the culture shifted. Being a “runner” meant chasing PRs, joining clubs, wearing split shorts and carbon-plated shoes. “Jogger,” on the other hand, began to feel like a backhanded label—someone who didn’t take the sport seriously. A hobbyist. A poser.
But that’s a false binary. As professional marathoner Noah Droddy said, “Jog vs. Run is an effort distinction, not a speed distinction. I ran yesterday, so I jogged today.” In other words, jogging is part of running. Just as tempo runs, hill repeats, or race day efforts are essential parts of a training cycle, so are the slow, gentle, meditative jogs.
A jogger isn’t a lesser runner. A jogger is someone who is running slowly—and slow is beautifully relative. A 6:00-mile pace can be a jog for an elite, and a 12:00-mile pace can be a run for someone else. The point is: the act of moving your body with intention and purpose matters more than what you call it.
What if we stopped flinching at the word “jogger” and started embracing it? It’s a term that gives permission. Permission to go slow. To recover. To listen to your body. To just enjoy the movement without worrying about metrics or expectations.
So go ahead—be a jogger. Be proud of it. Because jogging isn’t a compromise. It’s a celebration of effort, of consistency, of being in motion at your own pace.
Jog on.
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