I used to be in my own running bubble. I only knew about good old regular road running and I thought that only elite runners would ever place at a race. Then after joining MRTT, my eyes opened to a whole new world. MRTT combined a whole group of athletes ranging from walkers to ultra runners and everything in-between. My small bubble was educated on interval running, age group placement, speedwork, fueling strategies, time goals and distances over 26.2.
I was also noticeably seeing people naturally talk themselves down or joke about how they weren’t “runners”. This was surprising to me. Perhaps this was due to being in my own bubble early on in my running career – when I ran a marathon, I didn’t even give a thought to my time and expected a VIP pass for at least a year for the accomplishment of covering 26.2 miles! (I never got that pass by the way)
The best thing by far about being in a running group is access to the knowledge everyone has – instantly one can feel comfortable running their first 5k, good running apps, where to run trails and race ideas. I have grown 100% as a runner being part of the group – MRTT has introduced me to the larger world of what running is and I have made some friends for life through this group. There are a few myths I have seen that I would like to address - I know you are excited!
"Comparison is the thief of joy" - Teddy Roosevelt.
MYTH 1 - YOUR SPEED DEFINES YOU AS A RUNNER
Nothing could be further from the truth, speed defines you if you are an elite athlete and have a career in the sport. We are all in the category of leisurely runners – there is always going to be someone faster and someone slower than you. We all will have injuries that place us on different parts of our journey, and having a speed expectation can be stressful.
The wonderful thing about running, is you decide that you are a runner. There is no pace you have to hit to be a runner, no amount of miles you have to cover weekly to be a runner and there is no amount of walking that disqualifies you as a runner – you decide. Once you decide you are a runner – you are! From there you can define your goals. You can either run for fun, decide to push your pace or try some other combo to try to get the perfect mix for you. You can go from road, to trails to triathlons – you decide your goals and the effort you want to commit towards running.
Next time you consider talking down to yourself because you got a 2:30 on a half marathon and someone previously posted a sub 2:00 on their half marathon – DON’T! Be proud of your race and the miles you covered. The other person may have trained for 5 months straight with a brutal speed training schedule and strict diet. You didn’t do those things - nor would you want to, you may have even recovered from an injury and just showing up to cover those miles was a huge victory. Don’t judge others and don’t judge yourself. Running is all about putting in what you want to get out and that varies all over!
MYTH 2 - COMPARING YOURSELF AS A RUNNER IS HEALTHY
We have all seen that post – I ran a marathon in 3:55. Not what I wanted, but I was slow today due to a strained quad and upset stomach. WHAT?!? If I ran 3:55 marathon I would be popping champagne and seeing if Bruno Mars would headline my post-race party. But somehow her post is making me feel bad about myself as a runner and suddenly I'm mad, instead of sympathizing with a disappointing race a fellow runner just experienced.
Just a reminder that running is individual. Do not make yourself feel bad and short change your efforts by comparing yourself to someone else. Instead, what about having sympathy for this person who had an injury and had a stomach issue during a race. If she had posted a time of 5 hours, more than likely sympathy and support would be flowing in. What about the sympathy for this person who trained countless hours and had a bad race - regardless of finish time? That time might have been minutes within her goal and we are not appreciating the disappointment that comes with a missed goal and all the training that it requires to meet a goal.
Don’t let times and paces make you feel any less of yourself as a runner and don’t consider your response any different based on pace since we are all in different places on our running journey. Be a positive part of the running community that is amazing and attracts many of us to running - supportive and compassionate! If you want to get faster, then you have a group who can help you with that goal. If you want to increase endurance and reduce injury risk, then you have a group who can help you with that goal. That is what makes our MRTT group so wonderful, we are supportive and compassionate - don't fall victim to these myths that are simply negative thoughts you solely create. We are all amazing and on this journey together of trying to balance sleep, goals, health, family, work and nutrition. There is no need to discount our runs based on miles or pace, when they can simply be the mental release we need to close the chapter on a stressful day!
Happy Running!