What makes a "real" runner? Some people think it has to do with a certain speed you run, or a mentality you have. Other think it's when you've learned the rules of the road: not wearing your race shirt for the race, passing on the left, etc. I think that being a "real runner" means you plan on doing it for the rest of your life. I t means taking precautions to make sure you can run forever . Things like wearing reflective clothing at night or wearing a Road ID when you run outside. By that standard, I guess I've only recently joined the ranks of the "real runners." I used to run frequently on trails without any identification. Luckily I never had any problems, but other people have not been so lucky. If you are in an accident or need medical attention, you should ALWAYS have some form of identification on you with a phone number. If you were in the hospital, wouldn't you want your mom/husband/sister there as soon as possible? Alrigh...
Ultrarunning in Kalamazoo on a ketogenic diet