Jogging vs Running

What is the difference between jogging and running? Do you jog or run? One could think that these were simple and innocent questions but when it was posted on the sgrunners forum it caused so much controversy. It started simple enough with a new member to the forum asking this question. Soon somebody replied asking what was the point of this question, another jumped in to her defence and pretty soon there was a heated debate raging, ironically not on the jogging/running question but whether the question should have been asked in the first place. There were name calling, personal attacks and even experienced runners chipped in to add their 2 cents worth. So in the end, the mod shut down the thread.

What a pity that the question was not answered. Simple as it may be, indeed what is the difference between jogging and running? To experience runners, this may seem straight forward but to a newbie, it is probably a very serious question asked in genuine sincerity. So why should it generate so much heat?

I winched whenever somebody asked me whether I am going 'jogging'. I don't consider my countless pounding on the road as 'jogging' and I would like to think that what I did is 'running' The Webster online dictionary defined jogging as "to go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace" and running as " to go faster than a walk ; specifically : to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step". Likewise, Dictionary.com defined running as "to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground" and jogging as " to run at a leisurely, slow pace" So it could seem that the only difference is actually the speed at which the running is carried out. Run slowly with an easy effort and it is jogging. Run fast with a lot of effort and it is running. So to some, what is their running pace will probably be another person's jogging pace. So I guess at the end of the day, does it really matter whether what we do is jogging or running?

To wrap up this whole debate, nobody spells it out better than Pearl Izumi. Runners are Wild. Joggers are runners who have been domesticated!