A Back of the Pack Perspective

And Why Your Pace Doesn’t Have to Dictate Your Experiences or Achievements

It’s hard not to get in your head when you’re alone for a whole race – and not because you’re out at the front, but because you’re at the back of the pack.

*Allie running at the back of the pack, and enjoying it!*

A back of the pack perspective

In a world obsessed with being the best – the fastest, strongest, best dressed – it’s hard not to get caught up in the comparison game. The running world can be no exception. Pace-focused and speed-obsessed running goals can start to weasel themselves into your head, despite surrounding yourself with a back-of-the-pack friendly feed and no-pressure races. Thoughts like “What am I even doing?” and “Am I even good at this?” start to become louder and louder the farther away the rest of the group gets. It’s easy to spiral. It’s easy to let self doubt completely take over.

The power of belief in belonging

*Allie at the finish of her race after running her own pace.*

But do you want to know what’s harder than being at the back of the pack? Believing in yourself. Believing that you’re worthy despite your pace or what you look like doing it. And believing when you start to run your own race and take pride in your own accomplishments, a whole new world is unlocked. All of that self-imposed pressure and inevitable comparison-fueled disappointment, is replaced with pride, confidence and JOY. You start having fun, waving at fellow runners, and feeling the sense of accomplishment that only completing a uniquely difficult race can bring.

There’s more to running that PR’s and placings

It can be an amazing feeling reaching a new PR or finally nailing that negative split you’ve been working towards. But don’t let that be your only focus. Appreciating the training and racing experience in its entirety can give you an entirely different perspective on running, even if you’re at the back of the pack. YOU get yourself to the start line. And you can get yourself to the finish line, too. Sometimes it just might look a little different than you expected.

Allie Smith is a Massachusetts-based coach with Team RunRun. Her passion is helping the everyday athlete have fun, build confidence, and fall in love with running! She works with beginners just starting out, helping them fit running into busy lifestyles while finding joy.