I recently attended a 5 km ParkRun event. Chatting to another runner while we waited to start, I heard myself utter the words ‘I’m not really a runner’. Despite wholeheartedly believing this, I’d run the Loch Ness marathon only a few weeks before. How could I not be a runner? It got me thinking about why I still feel this way after a decade of running and what I think makes someone a runner or not.
My running journey began in 2014. I’d always been athletic, having previously competed in international team sport, but running had never been my thing. On a whim, I decided to sign up for my local half marathon… in three weeks’ time.
With little training, no technical clothing and the only pair of trainers I had, I turned up filled with nerves. My dad, a fine marathon runner in his day, had come along for moral support. I looked around the sea of elite kit, warm-up strategies and running tech, and felt instantly like an imposter. ‘Dad’, I said, ‘everyone else looks like a proper runner’.
‘What you look like doesn’t make you a runner or not, you’ll be fine’
His reply has stayed with me until this day and is something I think about when imposter syndrome kicks in. ‘What you look like doesn’t make you a runner or not, you’ll be fine’. Dad couldn’t have been more right; I finished the half marathon comfortably. Little did I know crossing the finish line that day, I’d end up an ultra-runner.
In 2015, I read that less than 1% of the UK population would run a marathon in their lifetime[2]. Deciding I needed to tick that experience off my bucket-list, I signed up for the Edinburgh marathon. I convinced myself running a marathon still didn’t make me a runner; I was just doing it as a challenge and to raise money for charity.
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What I would admit, though, was that I started to love running during marathon training. I adored the simplicity and spontaneity of exploring by foot. Running became my way of escaping from the world and dealing with stress. It was a friend who was always there when you needed them. I went, I ran the marathon, I conquered. Still not a runner in my eyes.
When I was first asked my finish time for the Edinburgh marathon, I was taken aback. Surely the immediate response when hearing someone had run a marathon was to congratulate them, not ask how long it took.
This raised another question in my mind about what makes a runner. If it wasn’t the kit you were wearing, was it how fast you could run? Certain runners work at improving their ‘personal best’ times. To them, pace is everything. If you aren’t one of those runners, however, I wouldn’t let how fast or slow you run worry you in the slightest.
If you’ve tried running in the past and didn’t enjoy it, give it another go at a slower pace.
There is an entire ‘slow runner’ movement aimed at challenging the assumption that running needs to be at a certain pace to be celebrated[3][4]. There are health benefits to easing off the accelerator[5][6][7], and it is a more inclusive type of running[8]. If you’ve tried running in the past and didn’t enjoy it, perhaps give it another go at a slower pace.
What I hadn’t planned on was becoming chronically ill for a couple of years. During recovery, I rekindled my love for running out in the trails of the Scottish Highlands and British Columbia. The freedom was addictive after being confined for so long. I pushed to distances I’d never run before, and cherished every minute of it. Still, trail running brought with it a new insecurity about what qualifies a runner. If you walk sections of a route, are you still trail running?
When social media is flooded with clips of trail runners skipping up steep ascents with the ease of a mountain goat, it’s hard to know where you stand when starting out. I now know that walking during trail running is not only normal[9], but also a very efficient strategy[10][11]!
I run as fast or as slow as my body tells me and walk whenever I feel like it.
I’d argue that anything goes on the trails. I run as fast or as slow as my body tells me and walk whenever I feel like it. Want to take some photos mid-route, sure. Fancy digging into a snack whilst enjoying the view, no problem. Write your own trial running rule book.
At my last ultra marathon, I turned up looking like the kind of runner I’d been intimidated by all those years ago. Fancy race watch, check. Trail vest and compression socks, check. Energy gels, check. Despite now looking the part, I still felt as intimidated and as nervous as I had at my first running event.
The thing I have realised over time is that most people turning up to an event have some kind of worry or insecurity about being there. Regardless of whether it’s 5 km or 50 km; someone is stressed out. The person you view as a serious, focused runner… may just be too nervous to smile.
I challenge you next time you feel intimidated at an event to go and chat to another runner. Firstly, I guarantee that they will be nice to you and secondly, they will probably tell you that they are anxious.
With friend and running mentor, Arash Saharie in the trails of Bennachie, Aberdeenshire.
The most supportive community I have ever come across is the running community. The best part? To be included, all you have to do is turn up. Strangers will high five you at the finish line of a ParkRun, fellow runners will exchange words of encouragement at the business end of an ultra, and I have never heard the words ‘well done’ so often as when I am at a running event.
The most supportive community I have ever come across is the running community.
That brings me back to what I’d like you to take away from my journey. Being a runner isn’t about what you wear, and it definitely isn’t about how fast you run. Being a runner isn’t about whether you take walk breaks or not. Being a runner isn’t even about how often you run or the distance you cover. Quite simply, if you get out there and run, you’re a runner. Welcome to the club.
Watch Crystal’s Dava Way 50K Ultra Video to see her in action
Further Reading & References
[1] www.parkrun.org.uk
[2] www.livestrong.com/running-statistics
[3] www.theguardian.com/slow-running-revolution-sexy-pace-enjoy-the-race
[5] www.independent.co.uk/life-style/slow-running-benefits-training
[6] www.womensrunning.com/training/beginner/slow-running-benefits/
[7] www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire
[8] www.runstreet.com/blog/slow-running
[9] www.trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips-training/walking-makes-you-a-trail-runner/
[10] www.runnersworld.com/how-to-use-jeffing-in-a-race
[11] www.runnersworld.com/run-walk-method-myths/
By Crystal Silver
I’ve always lived an outdoorsy lifestyle, but I went through a bit of a tough couple of years health-wise and promised myself to make the most of each and every day once I recovered. I have kept that promise to myself! The great outdoors played a massive role in my recovery and it’s truly my happy place. Find Out More about OS Champion Crystal Silver
