That moment when you realize you ARE a runner

This weekend my husband and I drove a couple of hours to a nearby town so he could visit a friend who owns a small craft beer brewery. While we were there chatting, another couple at the bar joined our conversation. Eventually the woman and I ended up chatting while the men droned on about beer (I have a healthy appreciation for beer, but let's face it, I can only talk about grain builds and yeast strains for so long). I genuinely don't remember how it came up, but I mentioned running and the woman mentioned she'd been wanting to start running, but just hadn't. I regaled her with stories (or rambled at her) about how amazing it felt to PR, how supportive the community was, and how fulfilling it is to accomplish something that genuinely takes effort.

I kid you not, I had just told her about how I could run a whole mile now (yes, one) when she told me I inspired her. I. Inspired. Her. Sometimes I doubt myself as a runner just because I can't run fast or far. I'm registered for a half marathon, but I still have so much work to do. It's like when you're trying to lose weight and instead of celebrating the 10 pounds you lost, you only see the 50 you still want to lose. I saw only the 12.1 miles I haven't run yet.But when this stranger told me I inspired her, I felt like a real runner for the first time. I also thought about all those who inspire me. I follow the Women's Running Community, Distant Runners, and #Team runDisney on Facebook and the other runners I've encountered through these groups are largely responsible for keeping me going. Their encouragement, support, humor, and passion all give me the courage to run through the bad days and cherish the good ones. I feel like I am slowly learning to become the runner I want to be through their guidance, even if they don't know it.

This was a rather serious example of embracing my inner runner, but there are also some really fun examples out there. Here are a few of my favorites:

You Know You're a Runner When...

• You scoff at paying $10 for a movie ticket, but you'll happily pay $40 for a 5K that you hope lasts less than 30 minutes
• Your home decor includes some form of bib or medal display
• You have more running clothes than regular clothes
• You're proud of your lost toenails
• You get an invitation to a wedding and have to check your race schedule before you RSVP
• Your friends ask about your weekend and you can only respond in miles and time splits
• You get excited when you see a porta potty
• You consider the phrase "it's all downhill from here" to be a good thing
• You have race entry fees built into your budget
• Your Garmin has logged more miles than your car
• You're not ashamed to wear spandex
• You have dreams about showing up late to races or forgetting your shoes
• You spend more time researching running routes than restaurants when traveling.
• Your runs are sometimes longer than your commute to work
• The word bib makes you think about races, not babies
• PR means Personal Record, not Public Relations
• The first question you ask your doctor is "When can I run again?"

AND

• You can say the word Fartlek without giggling

These are some of the best I've seen. Feel free to share yours in the comments!