Every body is a runner’s body

Every once in a while, I get asked a tough question: Should I lose weight?

That’s the kind of question no spouse wants to answer, and as I coach, I get similar heebie-jeebies, even when it’s my job to be painfully honest.

But here’s my short answer: You don’t have to have any kind of body to be a runner.

I talked about this on my TikTok account. My main point was there are many top athletes in the world now, including my favorite, Patrick Mahomes, who doesn’t look like a buff strongman. He looks more like a Dad, in fact.

I know skinny runners and runners who would be considered overweight by just about anyone. Are they all going to win their age group? No. Are all of them good runners. We need to change our attitudes over what an active, strong athlete should look like.

My job as a coach is to monitor your physical activity, which includes, I hope, a lot of running. I can offer tips on how to fuel during a race or a long run because that’s advice designed to get you through a run, not any kind of lifestyle choice.

But I am not a registered dietician, and so I don’t feel comfortable recommending any sort of diet plan.

My thought is if you do slim down, you might become a better runner. I recently lost 20 pounds, and I have noticed that it’s much easier for me to run now. But losing that kind of weight is hard, and it may hurt your training to go through the inevitable calorie deprivation you’ll have to go through in order to lose those pounds. You may be weaker, and if you aren’t fueling properly, you may even get injured.

Is it worth it? That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. But if you’re enjoying your running journey, are satisfied with the races you can run and sense that you’re continuing to improve, why would you cut calories? You may not look like what society believes a runner looks like. But if you run, you’re a runner.

My friend, Bret Naber, who is thin, and me, who is…not.