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Runners & Athletes

Runner Sitting on Mountain at Sunset and Fitness Protection Program logo


I’ve been running for 35 years, I’ve been coaching for 7….and I still don’t think of myself as an athlete. Perhaps that’s because I learned to run in a cardiologist’s office instead of school, but I think the truth is much more interesting than that:

Athletes are extraordinary people. Runners are regular people with an extraordinary hobby.


Athletes are good at their sport and are here to WIN. This gives them an aura of confidence and sets them apart.


Runners like me, aka “hobbyjoggers” or “recreational runners” just love running (and love talking about running!) and are excited to show up. We don’t compare ourselves to the fast kids- even when we are in the same place, we aren’t running the same race. There’s no second or third-string in running, no one warms the bench.


Some runners are athletes, but not all of us and that’s fine. There’s enough room for everyone.


Some of us are weekend warriors, hitting the trails the minute work ends. Others squeeze in what we can in hopes that it will be enough that our next half-marathon doesn’t hurt too much. Some of my favorite runners don’t care for training at all, they are here for the party at the finish line, especially when that finish line is in Walt Disney World.

People come to running for all kinds of reasons, but they all enter through the same door: a “couch-to-5k” program or app. They enter alone, and work alone, searching the internet for answers to their questions. If they don’t hate it, maybe they’ll sign up for a race to have a reason to keep going. Alone. Or, they’ll join a running club and take their questions to the most approachable person there….which isn’t much different than searching the internet, and even if the advice doesn’t suck it still isn’t personalized.

One door makes it easy to join the party but won’t make you want to stick around. That’s why I created Build.

In this podcast, you’re going to learn about Build and how our Guided DIY approach will give you the tools to tailor this program to your individual needs as well as all the support we offer.


(Special thanks to Coach Lovey and Coach Nikkia for participating in this podcast!)

Whether you think of yourself as an athlete or not, you WILL think of yourself as a runner when you finish this program, and you won’t need a reason to keep going. You’ll already have everything you need.


Coach MK

P.S. If you know someone who is ready to Build, send them this email and tell them to register for our free training happening today!

Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!



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