5 Things that good runners have.
5 Things that good runners have. © Images AGN

Not all of the things that make a runner great have to do with their bodies. Here are 5 things that every good runner should have in their minds.

If you asked most people what traits they think are important for a runner to have, you’d probably hear words like “fast” and “strong” come up. Even though these are all good things to have, they don’t mean that someone will be a good runner. In fact, a runner’s best qualities aren’t always physical. Instead, they are often non-physical traits that help them stand out from the crowd and even give them an edge over someone who is faster and more flexible than they are. In light of this, here are five things that every good runner has.

Tenacity

Tenacity
© Images AGN

Let’s be honest: running is not an easy way to get in shape. It can be very hard on your breathing and legs, especially when you’re just starting out. When you first start running, it can be hard, and it doesn’t always get better as you increase your speed and distance. It’s hard enough that you’ll sometimes wonder why you ever got into the sport.

But great runners are tenacious. They force themselves to keep going even when it hurts and their bodies are telling them to stop. Over time, that persistence starts to pay off in the form of better heart fitness and stronger muscles all around. But to get there, we have to be ready to go through some pain and sometimes push ourselves to our physical limits.

Consistency

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One of the best ways to improve as a runner is to keep up with your workouts. That means making a plan for your training and following it as closely as you can. The only way to get better at running is to run often, which can be hard if you have a busy schedule.

Good runners, on the other hand, don’t just find time to run; they make time to run. The constant repetition over a lot of miles is what builds power and fitness and makes runners good at what they do. If you want to make improvement, you need to train every day.

Can’t remember

It might not make sense, but it’s true: People who run well tend to forget both their wins and their failures quickly. In other words, they don’t think too much about how well or badly they did on any given day. Instead, they know that some training sessions will go well while others will be hard. This is normal, and if you can brush off the bad days, you can keep your mind on your long-term goals instead of overthinking why things didn’t go as planned.

Focused

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People who are very good runners are often also very focused. They make plans and work hard to reach their goals. Whether they want to run a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or full marathon, they commit to a training schedule and focus on getting physically and mentally ready for the challenge ahead. This helps them get through the harder parts of their planning and keeps them training even when it seems like they aren’t making any progress.

Confidence

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Confidence might be the most important trait of all. It’s the way you feel when you know that your running workouts have paid off and that you’re getting closer to your fitness goals. It’s an inner strength that lets you know you’re on the right road and that you’re ready for whatever comes next. But being confident doesn’t mean being lazy. It’s just knowing that you’re ready to push yourself even harder and that your body will respond well to the new goals you set for yourself.

The best thing about this list is that you don’t have to be born with any of these traits. Instead, you can build them up over time. And as you get physically stronger as a runner, these personal traits will also keep growing, making you mentally tougher as well.

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