How to become the runner you want to be

I’ve been thinking a lot about how some people have this idea of what a real runner is and how some are so intimidated that they run yet don’t call themselves a runner.

Well, let me let you in on a little secret as a running coach, a run club founder and leader, and a runner for over 30 years– if you run, guess what? You.are.a.runner.

I know. This is hard for many people to wrap their heads around and while some people do gate keep and try and make others feel less than, a majority of the running community is not like that and simply won’t make you feel like that.

There are people who started running when they were 30, 40, even 50. There are people who run/walk, people who never race, and people who race every single weekend. All of these people are runners!

To become the runner you want to be, you simply must start. The best way to achieve your goals in my opinion is consistency and immersion. If you step outside your comfort zone a little bit to show up to a run club, meet friends who run, and start developing a bit of community within the run club, you will have a lot more likelihood of continuing to show up for yourself and others. You will see how much consistency pays off and truly reap the benefits. When I say consistency, I don’t mean running every single day or running 5-10 miles each run. No, what I mean is running 3-4 days a week, focusing on maintaining that routine. You’ll be surprise at how quickly it starts to feel like part of your normal life to run and when you miss (which is perfectly ok) it feels weird.

Another aspect of helping you become the runner you really want to be is to mix things up. To quote my cross country and track coach, “variety is the spice of life.” Run without cross training and you may be ok for a while, maybe even a long while, but adding in something different breathes variety into your training, helps reduce risk of injury, and keeps things fresh. I recommend strength training with a full body workout 1-2x a week or upper body 1x and lower body 1x a week. It’s always great to incorporate core work in for a runner too. You can do strength training at a gym, Orange Theory, Cross Fit, swimming, Barre 3, whatever makes you feel excited about working out is great! As a run coach, I truly am not picky about this.

Back to the community aspect. Community is a big part of what makes running fun! Sure it is an individual sport, but it you can make it as social as you’d like. From meeting weekly to run with friends, to training for a race and racing together, there is no shortage of making running fun with others. Some of the best parts of running is running with friends, celebrating one another, and learning from one another. It is often something I try and make into a party!

If you have any questions about how to try and get connected with others, make running a consistent part of your routine, or questions about running in general, please feel free to reach out!