Just for fun

This month's edition of Runner's World contains a "personality quiz" for runners, to determine what type of runner you are. Of course, I know exactly what type of runner I am since I make choices about how, where, when, and why to run almost every day. But it's kind of fun to compare myself to other runners, and as hard as it is to neatly place people into a finite set of categories, I do think there's something to this.

The categories

Warrior. You are motivated primarily by competition. How far and how fast you run is largely dictated by meeting the needs of your racing, and you think of running in terms of training. You would still run if you had to give up racing, but not nearly as intensely. "Warriors' personalities are strongly identified with performance goals," says sprots psychologist Robert Udewitz. "These runners are likely to understand the science of physical performance and find fulfillment from testing their limits."

You are reading this and thinking of Eric. I know it. This is what he would be if he were a runner. And it's definitely not me. I mean, I have a little bit of a warrior in myself in that I try to improve my times and speeds and I set goals for races. But in the end, all that is not terribly important to me. I approach running goals gradually and not particularly systematically, and my successful marathon training plan could be summed up as "I'll bump my long runs up a couple miles every week or two or three, depending on how good I feel, and I should probably be able to make 23 miles before the race."

Socializer. You do a fair amount of racing, but you're drawn more by the social aspects of the events than your competitive drive. You're probably in a running club, and you're likely to volunteer at races. "Socializers often have greater attunement to external elements of running - namely friends," Udewitz says. "Their external focus leaves them more apt to lose out on some internal states of physiological awareness. However, their social nature comes with a great advantage. Socializers enjoy great fulfillment by sharing their love with like-minded people, which is an important component of happiness."

I am also not a social runner. I almost never run with other people - in fact, I prefer to run by myself. Sometimes I'll go running with a friend, but I tend to do that to spend time with the friend. It almost doesn't count as a run. I don't think social running is entirely outside my personality range, however. In fact, I began my life as a runner with a little running group from my dorm floor my freshman year, and I might consider joining a running club at some future point in my life. But I like the freedom of being alone and doing my own thing.

Exerciser. You run primarily for the quantifiable physical benefits, such as weight loss and disease protection. You tink of running more as exercise than as something that's a natural part of the day and are likely to skip it if life's obstacles make it inconvenient. You are likely to cross-train. You're not likely to participate in races, but you might sign up for one if it benefits a charitable cause. "Sometimes this personality type will morph into another as confidence is gained through maintained weight or health," Udewitz says.

Although on the quiz I often wavered between the answer for exerciser and the answer for my actual running type, the description hardly matches me at all. I won't deny that I run partly for the health benefits, and when I can't run I morph into an exerciser in that my cross-training workouts are motivated by fitness goals. But I hate it. And my motivation begins dropping. I like being healthy, but I am not an exerciser at heart, I am a runner.

Purist. Your main motivation is running for running's sake - you like how it feels and how it makes you feel afterward. You might race, you might not. Running is part of your routine; it makes you feel complete. How far and how fast you run is based more on how you feel that day, your perceived needs, how nice of a day it is, and your surroundings. You hope to run a decent amount pretty much every day for the rest of your life. "Purists are most adept at 'mindfulness' or just running without judgment," Udewitz says. "They are more likely to base their rhythm and pace on their strong attunement to internal states. They are also able to be flexible and notice elements external to themselves."

That's me! I am a running purist. I love running for the sake of running. I mean, as I said before, it's hard to place people neatly into categories and I am not a pure purist. But I'm awfully close - I relate to this description almost completely. And to most of the quiz answers for running purists:

Do you often vary your routes? B. Yes, I know the town better than the postal carrier. Exploring is half the fun.

A pain that started a few weeks ago has gotten worse, and now you can barely run. What to do? B. Hobble through a few miles at whatever pace I can handle, and ice it later.

What's your take on diet? B. I don't really think about my diet in terms of running, other than I know which foods interfere with my running, and I avoid them.

You just don't feel like running. What do you do? B. Head out - I'll feel better once I get going. Feeling bored or tired isn't a reason not to run.

Long runs are... B. A weekly ritual that I enjoy.

What's your best running memory? B. Not one specific memory, but a bunch of images from runs where I felt great.

Yup, that's me all right. Part of me is very satisfied that I quizzed as a purist. It seems like a very desirable category. But then, that's probably only because I am a purist. If I were a warrior, I'd want to test as a warrior, and if I were a socializer I'd want to test as a socializer (though I don't know why anyone would want to test as an exerciser - there's just no fun involved in that one). And of course this categorization means very little. I am the kind of runner that I am. Knowing that I'm a purist has no bearing on what, how, when, or why I run. Personality quizzes are great for telling you things about yourself that you already know. The real fun, I guess, is seeing yourself in print and thinking, "Wow, those folks at Runner's World have never even met me, and look how well they know me!"