When I started running regularly, I remember constantly wondering if I was actually a runner.

I ran intervals. One mile at a time. For months. I slowly added speed, then distance, but the imposter syndrome stuck around way longer than it should have. I didn't have a running community, so I was basically shooting in the dark, comparing myself to a version of "runner" I'd made up in my head or saw on Instagram.

I'd catch myself saying things like, "I went for a run... I mean, a jog." Like I needed to downgrade it before someone else could.

It wasn't until I was running 8-10 mile distances that I finally let myself say it: I'm a runner.

But here's what I wish someone had told me back then, because it would've saved me a lot of worry, anxiety, and unnecessary imposter syndrome:

If you run, you're a runner. Full stop.

Let's bust a few myths real quick.

Myth: You have to run a certain distance to "count."

Truth: A mile is a run. A 5K is a run. A half marathon is a run. There's no minimum distance where you suddenly unlock the title.

Myth: Real runners don't walk.

Truth: Run/walk intervals are a legitimate, smart training method, not a lesser version of running. Some of the strongest runners I know still use them (including myself).

Myth: If it feels easy or slow, it's "just jogging."

Truth: Pace doesn't define the word. Speed has nothing to do with whether you've earned the title. You're not auditioning for it.

Myth: You have to be fast to be a "real" runner.

Truth: I hear "I'm really slow" from clients all the time. My answer is always the same: compared to who? You're faster than someone, somewhere. Speed is relative, and it has nothing to do with whether you've earned a title.

So if you run intervals, races, casually, long distance, or track workouts... you're a runner. All of it counts. All of it always counted.

The other thing that changed everything for me? Finding a running community.

Running on your own is doable, but running with people changes the entire experience. The gear recommendations, the new routes you'd never have found solo, the workout tips, and honestly, just having someone notice if you show up (or don't), it's powerful in a way that's hard to describe until you have it.

Community gives you encouragement when you don't feel like lacing up. It gives you accountability when motivation runs out. And it gives you confidence, because you stop comparing yourself to an imaginary standard and start seeing yourself the way your running friends already see you: as a runner, period.

So however you run, you're in. Welcome to the club.