Episode 1173: Coach Chris Bennett - This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running: Living Bravely

In this episode of The Hidden Why Podcast, I sit down with Chris Bennett, Global Head Coach of Nike Running, better known to millions of runners around the world as Coach Bennett. Chris believes running is both about running and not about running at all. The lessons we discover while moving, including courage, honesty, resilience, patience, vulnerability, and showing up when things are difficult, have a habit of following us into the rest of our lives. Drawing from decades as a runner and coach, Chris shares the philosophy behind his new book, This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running: Essential Lessons on Living Bravely. We explore why everyone has the potential to be a runner, why your first goal should simply be wanting to run again, and why pace, distance, and performance matter far less than developing a healthy relationship with movement. This is a conversation about running, certainly. But more importantly, it's about how we approach the things that matter to us and how doing something difficult can help us become more courageous, honest, and alive.   Chris believes that everyone has the potential to become a runner, regardless of speed, distance, or pace. He explains why comparison and unrealistic expectations often stop people before they even begin and why running should meet you where you are today. For those starting their first run or returning after a long break, Chris encourages starting small, even if it's only five minutes. The real goal of that first run is simply to finish wanting to do another one, showing that sometimes doing less today can help you achieve more tomorrow. Chris also encourages us to think of running as a relationship rather than simply another fitness goal. Like any worthwhile relationship, running requires honesty, commitment, flexibility, patience, forgiveness, and the willingness to keep showing up. Some days the relationship will feel fantastic, while other days it may not, but the key is learning how to keep it healthy enough to last. He also explores the importance of finding your real "why," explaining why goals based purely on pace, weight, distance, medals, or external validation often fail to sustain us. Looking beneath the goal and understanding why it truly matters can help us adapt when circumstances change and focus on who we want to become rather than simply what we want to achieve. Honesty is another important part of becoming your own coach. Chris discusses why good athletes need to recognise when to push and when to back off, while learning to speak to themselves with the same intelligence and encouragement that a great coach would provide. He explains why beating yourself up rarely leads to sustainable performance. Running and sport can also provide a safe place to fail, struggle, learn, and try again. Through difficult experiences, we can build courage, self-trust, and the ability to handle challenges beyond sport. Finally, Chris explores how running can support mental and emotional health. Movement can change more than our physical health, and even a short run can influence how we interact with others for the rest of the day. Running can provide an opportunity to process emotions, think, reset, and reconnect, with benefits that extend far beyond the kilometres completed. He also discusses what happens when our passions change shape due to competition, careers, or different seasons of life. Losing one version of something we love doesn't mean we have to abandon it completely; instead, we can allow our passions to evolve and find new ways to stay connected to the things that make us feel alive. Key Topics Discussed: Everyone can be a runner. You don't need to run fast or far to belong. Start smaller than you think. The best first run is one that makes you want another run. Lowering expectations can increase consistency. Sustainable progress beats heroic bursts followed by burnout. Know your why. The deeper reason behind the goal matters more than the number attached to it. Be your own coach. Honesty and encouragement will take you further than constant self-criticism. Failure is training. Sport gives us a relatively safe environment to practise courage, vulnerability, and resilience. Let your passions evolve. You don't have to abandon something simply because your relationship with it changes.     About Coach Chris Bennett: Chris Bennett is the Global Head Coach of Nike Running and is known around the world as Coach Bennett. Through guided runs on the Nike Run Club app, training programs, podcasts, newsletters, events, and live coaching, Chris has helped tens of millions of athletes discover a more positive and sustainable relationship with running. His philosophy is refreshingly simple: everyone is a runner.   Rather than focusing solely on splits, statistics, and finish times, Chris encourages athletes to understand the experience of the run itself, celebrate where they are, and continue moving forward one run at a time. Before joining Nike, Chris was a high school history teacher and coach of one of the most successful running programs in the United States.   He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he captained the Tar Heels' Cross Country and Track teams. After college, he competed for five years with the Olympic Developmental Nike Farm Team at Stanford University.   Chris lives in Oregon with his wife, Tammie, and their three children, Jack, Maggie, and Emma.     Action from This Episode: Don't worry about becoming a runner. Just go for one run. Forget pace. Forget distance. Forget whether it deserves to be uploaded somewhere so strangers on the internet can inspect your kilometre splits. Start comfortably. Stay present. Finish feeling like you could have done a little more. Then ask yourself: "Do I want to do that again?" That's a pretty good starting line, not only for running, but for almost anything worth doing.   Resources & Links: Get Chris Bennett's book on Amazon: This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running: Essential Lessons on Living Bravely Website: Two Coach Bennetts   Connect with Coach Chris Bennett: Instagram Facebook