And the Undervalued Importance of Patience
Psssttt…wanna know a secret for running? Wanna know the real “hack”? Running isn’t just about fitness—it’s about patience. And if you don’t learn patience, running will teach you the same lesson—over and over.
It’s in training, when workouts don’t click, when your legs feel sluggish, when you’re putting in the work but the numbers won’t budge. It’s on race day, when every instinct tells you to go, but you have to hold back, when you’re deep in the pain and wondering if you can hold on. And it’s especially in injury, when progress is out of your hands, when you’re forced to sit still while everything in you wants to push.
We’re a society that has shifted (quickly and without thought) to instant gratification, unreasonable timelines, and expectations that don’t match reality or human capabilities. And we’re unhappy. We want guarantees and crave results now. We want to skip the part where things are hard. But running doesn’t work like that. Progress takes time, setbacks are inevitable, and the finish line isn’t handed to you—it’s earned, one patient step at a time. That’s a secret for running—or, at least, it was secret.
Patience is uncomfortable because it forces us to accept a hard truth—we are only in control of two things: showing up and our reaction. But we crave a clear cause-and-effect relationship: put in the work, see the results. It doesn’t always work that way. Progress is often invisible until it isn’t. The body adapts on its own timeline, not the one we set. And sometimes, setbacks aren’t detours but part of the path itself.
Patience is frustrating, especially when we equate improvement with effort, and effort with action. But patience isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about knowing when to act and when to wait. It’s about trusting the work, even when the outcome isn’t immediate. And it’s about understanding that adaptation takes time—whether we like it or not.
Running isn’t a straight path forward. It’s filled with plateaus, setbacks, and moments that test your resolve. Some days, you fly. Some days, you fight for every step. But if you stay patient—if you keep showing up even when it doesn’t seem to be working—you’ll find yourself standing in a place you once thought impossible.
And here’s the thing—running teaches patience the way life does. It reminds us that we can slow down, we can trust the process, and we can let things unfold as they should. The more we learn this lesson in running, the more we can apply it elsewhere.
So when things aren’t going your way, when frustration tempts you to force what isn’t ready—just breathe.
This message was brought to you by a human and a current student of Patience.
Corey Turnbull is a Team RunRun Coach based in Ottawa. He works with beginners just starting out or with seasoned runners looking for a breakthrough. Corey helps athletes maximize the limited training time they have, prioritizing consistency, focus and fun.
If you enjoyed this article, check out “What Are You Going to Do with All That Fitness?” also by Corey Turnbull.