As a certified running coach, I’m used to hearing people’s concerns around their own running, especially from those who are just starting out. I often hear worries that include: I’ll be too slow, or I’ll get tired too quickly, and simply that they don’t feel like a “real” runner.

And I totally get it, I had a lot of those concerns too. I didn’t always go through life feeling like a runner. My confidence as a runner didn’t come from pushing harder or going longer—it came from learning how to structure my runs in a way that made them feel achievable.