Are you a Runner?

Are you a jogger or a runner? How do you know? Is it based on speed, distance, how long you have been running, whether you have black toe nails or not? Encarta defines jogging as "a fitness or recreational activity that involves running at a slow, steady pace". Conversely, running is defined as "a rapid movement on foot, with long strides and both feet momentarily off the ground." These descriptions basically differentiate activities by intent, fitness or recreation as opposed to competition and speed, slow steady pace versus rapid movement.
Running philosopher Dr. George Sheehan states the difference between a runner and a jogger is a race entry form. If this statement needs explaining you are probably a jogger, or at least a non-racing runner. Some believe a runner runs even when he or she is injured, while a jogger does not.
A leading question on a running forum asked: "At what speed does one go from being a jogger to a runner?" Without fail when asking a newbie what they consider themselves, the answer is resoundingly "whichever is slower!" A featured article in Running Times magazine proclaimed the magic speed was eight minute miles. Is that eight minutes per mile over a mile, a 5K or a marathon? What happens if you can run 5k at eight minutes per mile, but at longer distances you are slower? Are you both a runner and a jogger?
You know you are a runner when: (Excerpted from I Run therefore I am Nuts by Bob Schwartz)

   Your feet look better without toenails.
   You rotate your running shoes more then you rotate your tires.
   You start planning family vacations around races.
   You spend your entire paycheck on running gear, energy bars and entry fees.
   You try to tie double knots in your Oxfords.
   You can say "fartlek" with a straight face.
   You wear more electronics on a run than are in the dash of your car.
   You are excited about your birthday because it will bump you up into another age category.
   You finish a race and they wrap you up like a Pop Tart.
   You are never short on safety pins.

Having run with people slower, faster, older, younger, experienced and new to the sport, for me it is about passion. Most joggers define what they are doing, "I am jogging" versus who they are; "I am a runner." Jogging is a means to an end, fitness. Running is a lifestyle born out of movement, progression, freedom, escape, control, mastery and peace. You are a runner if the act of running gives shape to your day, gets you out of bed in the morning (early) and puts you back into bed at night (early). You are a runner when you feel best after your most difficult runs and end up depressed because you have accepted your own excuses for not running at all. You are a runner if running matters to you.