The Runner in Everyone

I love the variety of people that I meet when doing shoe fittings.  From people training for their first 5k to people who walk at the park every day to seasoned ultra-marathoners.  The one thing that surprises me the most is how much people downplay their accomplishments.  At least once a day someone says “I’m not a real runner.  I’m not fast. I’m just a walker or some other phrase that diminishes their activities.   

So, here’s the deal.  You are awesome.  No matter the pace or the activity, your achievements are just as valid as everyone else’s.  If you participate in road races or work out at a local park or gym, you will see that fitness comes in all shapes and sizes.  If you are in the 2% of people who enter a race that is vying for a placed finish, good for you, you probably don’t need this pep talk.   If you are a person who has never participated in a road race or attended a group run because you think you are too slow, you are wrong.   

Most large/established races advise of course time limits on their website and publish the results from previous years.  If the race results only show people completing them faster than you can run, or if there is no published cut off time, e-mail the race director.  Most race directors are very responsive to emails (make sure you do this at least a week prior to the race to give ample time for a response).   

When I email a race director, I let them know my projected finish time and ask if their race will be a welcome environment for me.  100% of the time that I have sent this email I have been told that I am welcome to participate and that the race staff will support me the same as the rest of the runners. 

I am typically a middle to the back-of-the-pack runner.  Not every race has been perfect but most of them have been great.  I have been the last person to cross a finish line and I have placed in my age group.  I have reached the turnaround at a race and have been surprised by the number of people that were still behind me.  I have finished a race well before the cutoff time and nowhere near the back of the pack and found the post-race area completely decimated with no recovery snacks or staff to welcome the remaining runners.  I have also finished near the back of the pack and have been showered with more snacks than I could handle.  

If road races aren’t your thing, but you’d like to have people to work out with, a run group is a great way to meet new people with similar interests.  There are both in-person and virtual groups available for every pace and distance goal.  The coaches are there to support you and, for in-person workouts, no runner is ever left behind.    

If you run and don’t participate in road races you are a runner.  If you participate in road races and aren’t vying for an age category win, you are a runner.  If you use the run/walk method, you are a runner.  If you walk fast, ok, you got me, you aren’t a runner but your accomplishments as a walker are no less valid than those of runners and other athletes.  So, take the “just” out of your vocabulary and enjoy the miles.   

-Kinyorda Sliwiak