Running: There Is No Such Thing As Slow!

You are faster than you think. It doesn’t matter if you have been running for years or are just now considering adding running to your healthy lifestyle—you are already a high performance super fast athlete!

That might sound like a stretch, but our mission is to get people to think differently about “fast vs. slow” and to remove barriers that might be preventing you from lacing up your sneakers and getting out there.

In fact, one of the most common excuses we hear from runners who are just getting started: “I’d love to run, but I’m so slow—it’s embarrassing!” Our response over the years has always been the same: There is no such thing as slow!

Still can’t quite wrap your head around “slow” not being an issue? Here are four points that prove you’re actually faster than you think:

1. Running “fast” is relative Who are you comparing yourself to when you say you’re “slow?” The 93% of people who can’t run a mile without stopping, perhaps? How about the majority of Americans who never exercise? (OK, we may have made up that 93% statistic, but you get the point.) Anyone out there running, walking, or just moving forward is fast compared to those who do not even try!

2. Your pace over time is impressive Some people consider running a 12-minute mile slow. But 12-minute miles would allow you to run the distance between Los Angeles and New York City in less than three weeks! (Of course that doesn’t take into account stopping for food, water, sleep, or other necessities, but it is still an impressive speed!)

3. You are not a snail Many runners—especially new ones—complain about running at a “snails pace.” But, in reality, the fastest garden snail moves at a top speed of about fifty yards per hour. At that pace, the snail is blazing through one mile in 1.4 days. Which means it would take that little guy well over a month to complete a marathon. How does your 12-minute mile sound now?

4. You’re faster than the old you One of the wonderful things about running is being able to see and measure your progress. If you get started today, within one week you will be faster than this current version of you. In a month or two you can look back at where you started and know without a doubt you are officially fast compared to the old you.

The point is, you’re faster than you think! Get out there and run with pride. Because, really, the only thing slowing you down is waiting to get started!

About the Author

Run the Edge

Olympian Adam Goucher and psychology teacher Tim Catalano share a unique message of hope, optimism and self-improvement through their website Run the Edge. Their book Running the Edge climbed to #4 out of more than 1 million books in amazon’s Kindle store in 2012, and has over 30,000 copies in circulation. Their second project is equally groundbreaking: the new Level-Up Training Plans turn running and training for a race into a game. Earn points, collect finisher medals, and have fun every stride of the way! Visit Run the Edge for more information, and follow Run the Edge on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Special offer exclusively for My Fitness Pal users: Get the Running Start Training Plan for free! ($8.95 value.) You won’t find a more entertaining or enjoyable way to begin your running journey.

9 responses to “Running: There Is No Such Thing As Slow!”

Dave Perry says:

October 3, 2014 at 7:31 pm

Dude needs to lose the yoga shorts.

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- Runner says:
  
  October 4, 2014 at 9:32 am
  
  They are half tights. Many elite runners prefer them to regular running shorts. Loosen up, it’s only running.
  
  Reply
Meg says:

October 4, 2014 at 2:59 pm

Making up statistics is a terrible way to try and inspire me. If you can’t take the time to do that research, why should I believe that anything you are saying is well thought out?

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guest says:

October 5, 2014 at 2:46 pm

Comparing yourself to a snail to make yourself feel better? These sound like things you would tell a 6 year old. A 12 minute mile is slow. People should be embarrassed. Stop being slow.

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- caryskh says:
  
  October 5, 2014 at 4:35 pm
  
  Just because you think that you’re better than everyone else doesn’t make it okay to brag about the fact that you’re a jerk. Believe it or not, some people find this helpful to motivate themselves and set them on the right track. Nobody is born knowing how to live healthily and set goals. I found this very helpful and will use it every day when I work out. For the record, I play softball competitevely and other sports and I consider myself healthy. However, due to multiple injuries over the past year, I have not been able to run at all. I have lost some motivation over the last year with my upper body workouts. Ignoring the fact that I am not allowed to run yet because of said injuries, I probably couldn’t run a 12 minute mile right now. It doesn’t mean I’m fat or slow or stupid or a bad runner. I just have physical limitations that don’t allow me to run currently. I bet when you first started running, I don’t care how long ago it was, you couldn’t run a 12 minute mile. Everybody starts somewhere, and usually it isn’t at expert levels. Things do not happen overnight.
  
  Reply
BSH says:

October 10, 2014 at 7:25 am

Some of us aspire to a 12 minute mile. After several years of running. So thanks for making me feel bad about that.

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- Oxers says:
  
  October 12, 2014 at 1:15 am
  
  For real. A 12 minute mile is a pretty big accomplishment for me, thanks. I know this article is supposed to be encouraging, but it just sounds pandering and obnoxious, some svelte, swift runner being good enough to give us chubbos a pat on the head. Like.. could you not?
  
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Dave Thawley says:

October 12, 2014 at 2:30 am

Thanks very much for a great article. I get what you mean and find it inspirational 🙂

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Bean says:

October 25, 2014 at 9:05 am

Funny. It seems that myfitnesspal demonstrates the opposite. Why isn’t there a category for running a sub-8KM per hour category when clocking cardio exercises?

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