You're A Runner 2.0
Positive affirmation to claim who you are and that you belong in community!
I am sure you may have heard me allude to this on my podcast—if you have listened. However, I want to name it clearly here at the top:
YOU ARE A RUNNER.
You might not think of yourself as a runner. Maybe you’ve never raced, never logged miles on an app, or never even called yourself one out loud. But if you move, if you put one foot in front of the other—even just once—in my books (and really by the dictionary), you are a runner.
Now you may still consider this outlandish, but I really want you to reread those introductory paragraphs again. This is an important part of community, that is, feeling like you belong. Belonging is about confidently claiming who you are, beyond all reasonable doubt. If you have put in the work, if you have done the thing, you deserve the title that comes with it.
What Makes a Runner?
So often, we measure ourselves against an invisible standard we create for ourselves. We see runners crossing finish lines, logging high mileage, or hitting paces we can’t fathom, and we assume that is what makes someone a runner. But why do we let other people’s benchmarks define our identity?
As a pastor, my claim upon the title of pastor—or Reverend—comes from my education and the authority given to me by my Bishop. The work I did to get to the point commands the opportunity to be called Pastor or Reverend. We can think in a similar vein for doctors, teachers, lawyers, or any number of professions. However, hobbies may feel a bit different. Especially when that hobby can be defined by the greatness of a professional.
Think about it: Do you have to write a novel to call yourself a writer? Do you have to cook at a five-star restaurant to be a chef? What is the threshold to be able to claim an identity? What work actually needs to happen?
As I said, running should be no different. What do you need to do to be a runner?
RUN! The only prerequisite is movement—and I would further argue that in the manner of “running community” we should even call those who walk, runners, even if they only walk. At its core, our community is about movement—whether walking or running.
Yet, I have witnessed and heard so many hesitate to claim the title. When we hesitate to claim the title, we weaken the sense of community we could build together. If we don’t see ourselves as the very thing that defines community then how can we ever truly feel comfortable being a part of it?
The Imposter Syndrome Trap
This hesitancy isn’t just about running. It’s about how we view ourselves in every space we step into (As Coach Bennett, Nike’s Global Run Coach, often says “this is about running and it’s not about running”). Imposter syndrome—this internalized fear that we don’t deserve a certain title—holds us back in ways we don’t even realize.
Psychology Today defines imposter syndrome as:
“People who struggle with imposter syndrome believe that they are undeserving of their achievements and the high esteem in which they are, in fact, generally held. They feel that they aren’t as competent or intelligent as others might think—and that soon enough, people will discover the truth about them.”1
It’s not just high-powered professionals who deal with this—it happens in running, too. In fact we are probably more susceptible to it than professional areas, because to be a runner is to simply participate in the act of running—that’s it!
Maybe you don’t feel fast enough, consistent enough, or serious enough to call yourself a runner. Maybe you tell yourself, I just jog a little or I’m not like “real” runners.
But who exactly decided what a “real runner” is?
Rewriting the Narrative
Unfortunately, there is a long history in the world of running that has long been shaped by gatekeeping. For years, brands and media glorified elite athletes, making it seem like running was only for those who could race fast, train hard, or look a certain way. But the tide is shifting.
Don’t hear this as bashing professional runners or even how brands support them. These are the visible people of the sport that can be part of that encouraging effort. However, to consider them as “runners” while the rest of us think ourselves unworthy is not the image that is meant to be present.
Sure, I can’t run a marathon as fast as Eliud Kipchoge, but we are both still runners in every sense of the word. I am beginning to see places where the running community is starting to embrace the truth: every pace is valid, every effort counts, and every runner—no matter their experience—belongs.
Some of the best runners I know have never toed a starting line of a world major with the elites. Some have never done a single track or even speed workout. Some walk more than they run. And yet, they lace up, they move, and they show up for themselves.
They are runners.
You are, too.
The Power of Claiming Who You Are
When we hesitate to claim our identity—whether as runners, as leaders, as creatives—we give power to doubt rather than to the work we’ ve done. But you don’t need anyone’s permission to be a runner; all you need to do is run.
So, let’s flip the script:
Say it out loud: I am a runner.
Move today in a way that reminds you why you started.
Encourage someone else who feels like they don’t belong in the space they’re stepping into.
Because at the end of the day, running isn’t about being the best, the fastest, or the strongest. It’s about showing up. And you? You belong here.
Now tell me—have you ever felt imposter syndrome in your life? What affirmations have helped you push through?
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/imposter-syndrome)