The other day, someone at the gym asked if I ever led group runs for the people I coach.
And my answer was “No, I’m honestly kinda slow. I doubt you’d get much benefit from training with me.”
I happen to know this person’s marathon time, so it was more than just an off-handed statement.
I mean, there are other reasons…
Team Mountain Goat is spread across the world, so in-person gatherings aren’t really realistic.
I enjoy running alone because it’s an important time for me to process the world.
My schedule is really weird, so any substantial run would be at some absurd time like 11am on a Wednesday, when most people are working.
But even if all those things weren’t true, I’m slower than over half of the people I coach, which isn’t often what you want in someone leading your group runs.
Now, when I said I was “slow” the person almost visibly recoiled.
They said something like, “I bet you’re not really slow…”
But no.
I kinda am.
I only started distance running a few years ago and while I’ve learned a lot and made a lot of progress, these things take time.
Unless you’re some sort of genetic marvel – which I’m definitely not – it will probably take 5-10 years of fairly consistent, dedicated practice to be able to run real distances at any pace someone might consider “fast.”
And I’m just not there yet.
The thing is…
That’s okay.
Slow isn’t a dirty word.
For one, it’s fine to be slow.
All running is running and there are a lot of people out there who are more than happy trotting along at 12-minute miles.
They’re no less of a runner than anybody else.
But even if you are looking to get faster, then it’s still not a bad thing to be slow because slow isn’t a permanent condition.
It’s a problem with a solution:
Run a bunch of miles and do some speed work, every week, for a long time.
If you do that, you will get faster.
Is it more complicated than that?
I mean… only slightly.
You have to know what speed work to do and “a bunch” is different for different people based on schedules and recoverability…
But otherwise, no.
Run a bunch of miles and do some speed work, every week.
Over time, you will get faster.
“Slow” isn’t a bad word.
It’s a problem we know how to solve.
Same with “weak.”
For example, a few months ago I just wasn’t able to figure out how to do a route in the climbing gym.
I got halfway up the wall, then just kinda hung there trying different things until I had to ask to get lowered because I couldn’t make any progress.
Later that week, I saw a very skilled climber do the same route and when he got to that spot, know what the answer was?
Be stronger.
I’m not going to bore you with the specifics of a climbing move you’ve never seen, but suffice to say… I just wasn’t strong enough to do that move yet.
Key word: yet.
Because much like running, I’ve only really been climbing for a few years.
Sure, I used to putter around at the bouldering gym when I lived in Park City, but for the past couple years, I’ve been climbing 1-3 times per week, almost every week.
Unsurprisingly, I’ve gotten a lot stronger.
Words like “strong” and “weak” aren’t bad.
They’re just assessments of a current state.
If you’re willing to show up consistently and do some work, then you can almost certainly make changes.
Will it happen by next week?
Probably not.
For example, I never did finish that climbing route.
My hands probably won’t be strong enough to do that for at least another year and they’ve already swapped it out for something new.
But the strength will come.
As will the speed.
As runners, we identify far too much with our pace.
If you’re slow and you want to get faster, that’s great.
You’ve identified a problem that you’re able to solve.
I can tell you it’s probably not going to be easy and there will be moments where you get kinda frustrated…
But getting faster is a thing we know how to do.
“Slow” is only a dirty word to people who either aren’t willing to put in the work, or aren’t sure what work to do.
If you know what to do and are willing to do it, it’s just a solvable problem.
If you’re looking to get faster and are willing to do the work, but you just aren’t sure what kind of work you need to do…
Let’s set up a time to chat and I’ll see if I can help.
For now, I’m gonna get out of here and take Teddy to daycare so I can do some speed work.