From One Running Photo in 2016 to a Consistent Runner: What 10 Years Taught Me About Consistency and Identity

I found one single picture of myself running from 10 years ago. That’s it. One photo in a whole year of life where running existed but I was far from consistent. I had a seven-month-old baby, and two weeks after that picture was taken I learned I was pregnant again. Needless to say, 2016 was not a running year for me.

Looking back now, ten years later, I know this one photo wasn’t a failure. It was part of the middle, not the beginning… and it taught me two powerful lessons about building a running life that actually sticks. 

Consistency Is a Practice, Not a Personality Trait

For a long time I believed inconsistency meant I wasn’t meant to be a runner. If I couldn’t run every week, or had to walk, or skipped more days than I ran… I told myself, “I guess I’m just not consistent.”

But here’s the truth I learned along the way: 

Consistency isn’t who you are; it’s a skill you build through practice.

And that practice looks different depending on your life, your season, and your goals.

Many runners fall into the same trap: thinking consistency is something you discover, not something you design. But consistency comes from small decisions, day after day, not from perfection.  

Why Your Identity Matters More Than Your Mileage

The way you see yourself matters. It matters a lot. Early in my journey, I didn’t yet see myself as a runner. I ran, but I didn’t believe I was a runner. That gap — between behavior and identity — was one of the biggest reasons I kept stopping and starting.

Let's face it: Our brain likes consistency, but only when the behavior feels like part of who you are. External goals (like distance or pace) are helpful, but they don’t anchor habit on their own.

You Don’t Need to Be an Athlete to Be a Runner

One of the biggest myths in running is that there’s a specific kind of person who gets to be consistent or “real.” Speed. Long miles. No walking breaks. That’s the stereotype, the image that social media creates for us. But it’s not the reality.

When I began as a non-athlete who also wasn’t consistent, I thought: 

• “Real runners don’t stop.”

• “Real runners don’t walk.”

• “Real runners don’t have to start over.”

 And yet… the runners I most admire aren’t the fastest; they’re the ones who keep going through adversity or despite their life circumstance.

 In fact, even walk-run intervals count as progress. You’re still putting the miles in, and you’re still showing up.  

Consistency doesn’t care how fast you go. It cares that you keep coming back.

This is why approaches like the run-walk method are so powerful: they help you build miles and confidence without pressure. And these approaches aren't only for beginner runners, even seasoned runners swear by it. Science shows that even short or mixed runs build discipline and trigger motivational brain chemistry (endorphins, dopamine, etc.), strengthening the habit loop over time. 

What This Means for Your Running Journey

If you’re reading this and feeling stuck in a start-stop pattern, I want you to hear this clearly: 

• You are not failing.

• You are building skill.

• Consistency is something you create, not something you’re handed.

Even slow, imperfect, short runs matter. Just like the tiny steps I took over ten years added up to a consistent running life.

If you want practical tools to make consistency easier, start with one of these: 

• How to Keep Running When You’ve Lost Motivation — for real-world tips when motivation fades. 

• What I’d Tell My Younger Self About Running — for mindset and identity shift guidance. 

• 6 Easy Ways to Track Your Running Progress as a Beginner — because tracking helps you see your consistency unfold.  

A Running Season for Every Life

Your running journey won’t always look the same, and that’s okay. Some years feel like breakthroughs. Others feel like holding on. And some, like 2016 was for me, you decide life has other priorities for you.

But here’s the beautiful part: every step you take, even the ones that don’t feel like progress, counts toward the story you’re building.

You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep going. 

Final Thoughts

That single photo from 2016 wasn’t a beginning or an ending. It was a point on the arc of a much bigger story. Your story, too, isn’t finished. And every run you show up for adds a meaningful chapter.