You Don’t Need a Runner’s Body to Run

It’s great to be a runner in the time of social distancing. The gyms, pools and yoga studios are closed but you can still get outside for a run. The amazing thing about running is that all you need is a pair of shoes. Heck, you don’t even need shoes – more and more people are running barefoot. I would recommend starting with shoes though! A common misconception is that you need to be slim to run. Although I’ve slimmed down in the past few months, I have run most of my ultra-marathons carrying an extra 20 lbs. I still have a big frame and people are generally surprised when I tell them that I run ultra-marathons. 

I have seen so many different body types through my years of racing. You can never tell who is going to do well in a race based solely on their body type. In my first mountain race, I got passed in the last kilometre by a racer who outweighed me by at least 50 lbs. In another 50km trail race, I remember a muscle bound runner needing to pull sticks out of the woods and use them as crutches to finish the race. My friend Chris was in some of the best shape of his life when he ran a 100 mile race a few years ago. Chris set a super fast pace but ultimately lost the race to another runner who was at least 10 years older and 40 pounds heavier than Chris.

Now is the perfect time to start running if you’ve been thinking about it. You don’t need to wait until you’re in better shape – running is for everyone. Start with alternating between walking and running if it’s been a long time since you’ve run. Run for 1 minute and walk for 4 minutes – you can walk for less time depending on your fitness level. You can do this for sessions of 15 to 30 minutes. Running helps get you in shape, improves your mood and most importantly, it gives you a break from all of the people you have been self-isolating with.