A runner is a runner-pace not withstanding

Own your pace. Stop apologizing for it. Stop explaining it

As a coach, I receive many messages from runners who are interested in joining the training. Over time, I’ve noticed a pattern in how many of these conversations begin.

“Coach, I’m a slow runner… my pace is this and this.” Or, “Coach, I would really like to join your training, but I’m not sure if I fit in because I’m a slow runner.”

Every time I read those words, I pause for a moment. Not because of the pace mentioned, but because of the belief behind the statement.

Somewhere, many runners have been made to feel that pace determines whether they belong . That if you are not fast enough, you somehow need to apologize before you even begin.

1. Let me say this as clearly as I can: in all my years of running and coaching, I have never met a fake runner. There is no such thing as a fake runner. If you lace up your shoes, step out the door, and put one foot in front of the other, whether that run is fast or slow, long or short, you are a runner. That is all the qualification you need.

2. The truth is, we are all inherently built differently, and that’s a fact we can’t change. Some runners are naturally faster. Some build speed over time. Imagine if I compared myself to Eliud Kipchoge. I cannot sustain his marathon pace even for a km. That does not make me less of a runner

3. Running is personal. It is you against you. It is not you against someone else’s Strava activity. Some runners run for the joy, sanity, others for the health benefits, for others its personal challenge. I have met someone who runs so that she can keep up with her kids. All these reasons are valid.

It is you against your. Your consistency. Your progress. So, I want to encourage you to do something important: own your pace. Stop apologizing for it. Stop explaining it. Stop comparing your running journey to someone else’s chapter.

The next time you come into my inbox, please don’t feel the need to begin by telling me you are a “slow runner”. That label does not matter. That information does not determine whether you belong here.

What matters to me is simple: you run. And that alone is more than enough.

Signed Coach Dedan Michiro