No longer can I call myself a runner, after what I thought was about six months out of running actually turned out to be over two years I've returned as an overweight foot shuffling middle aged 'jogger'.
Everything I cringed at about slow moving, grimacing, bent forward, sweaty plodders I've become.
Pass the Burka.

I know the feeling having started "running" again – have spent most of this week going downstairs sideways because my legs hurt! I went into the local running shop yesterday to buy a bumbag to store my keys and ipod in when running and the guy asked my what sort of running I did – slow was my response.

I'm using a bumbag actually, and it's doubling up nicely as a tummy corset.

My definition of a jogger is somebody who is not trying to improve their performance.
If you run at 10 minute miles but are striving to run 9's, you are a runner and an athlete.

what's slow though oldgit?

I'm now doing 8.5min/mile on any run [jog] over 5 miles & that's feeling pretty pedestrian to me

I'm 50 BTW – & definitely slowing down 🙁

I'm 50 BTW – & definitely slowing down

It may not help but as an O/40 I train with a lot of O/50 and believe me there seems no real drop off in performance as long as you stay injury free and put in the effort.

'what's slow though oldgit?'

Not sure actually I went out for the first time on Monday and did 40 minutes of hilly xc stuff, I reckon I only covered 4 miles, so proper slow.
Last night I had to stop within a mile on the first big hill, running too slow and on my toes did my calf in. When I speeded things up a bit and ran heel/toe the pain went away.

I'm just a few months younger than you, but I'm not letting my age get in the way.
I've put on weight and I'm running in lightweight xc shoes that's the immediate problem.

The difference between runners and joggers isn't speed, but attitude. Runners are trying to get somewhere as fast as possible, however slow that might be. Joggers bounce up and down on the spot waiting to cross the road. Runners measure how far they've run. Joggers measure how many calories they've burned.

Well, no time for riding today as I have to work so I went for a run to see how fast I was actually running

I did 7.43 miles in an hour so 8:06/mile – hurting a bit now 😥 but I was deliberately pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I don't think I could have done much further at that pace

I'm hoping it wont take long to get back on form. I'm doing this because I found it helped with xc and cross. I lack speed in the early stages of short races and I found running went some way to helping matters.
My last records show a pace of 6.62 minute miles for the 1/2 so I'd love to get somewhere near 7.30 for shorter xc runs by winter.

i believe its pronounced 'yogging' with a soft 'J'