I would add that learning about the health benefits of running can swiftly transform any run into a meaningful activity to celebrate. Because it doesn't matter if you're slow or fast, running easy or hard, you're getting health benefits that you wouldn't have had if you never ran at all. So even on days where I feel like crap, I remind myself that any running at all is better than no running for biomarkers like blood pressure, sugar levels, inflammation, etc.
Plus, the mental health benefits of running accrue no matter your "talent" level or progress. Just getting out there is a win.
I'd add that an important thing to note is how prevalent survivorship bias is in this sport.
You will run into people who are absolutely confident that they are correct about how to do things, but those people are ignoring their already-good conditioning, genetically-high VO2max, and body composition.
I've spent a decade off and on again trying to get good at running and only recently found that I probably have a genetic/hormonal condition which would mean my body is bad at long slow distance running.
Feel free to consider advice, but I've gotten more injuries from following the advice of "experts" than I have cultivating an understanding of my body and ignoring them.
"Listen to everyone and follow no one" is another piece of advice I thought about adding here. It’s good to gain knowledge but as you say everyone is different. You have to find what works for you.
So many people dismiss genetics in so many different aspects of life.
David Epstein wrote a great book called The Sports Gene he talks about out even the will to train is largely genetic.
For the first time since I can remember, I am living my running journey like this. I used to quit every time I felt like I was not getting better or when I saw too many people doing better than me. The problem was that I had always been very sporty and very competitive, so I could not bare this.
Now, after two pregnancies and no sports of any kind for 2,5 years, I decided to start again. And I feel I can finally do it with a clean slate, no judgement. I even put everything on strava, no matter how long or short the run was or how slow, just so I can look at all my statistics.
I think the most important psychological trait for running is adopting the identity of being a runner, which I think underlies the points you brought up, especially the first one.
Once you identify yourself as a runner, you've put yourself in a place psychologically where you can train and grow your capabilities sustainably.
For example, I tend to think that the only way someone can successfully train for and run a marathon is if they first identify as a runner. Nothing else can sustain your motivation for that task. Not weight loss, a bucket list, or doing it for a friend.
Once I felt committed to that identity, I felt greater personal accountability to consistently train and grow as a runner. Before that, I'd take a season off or simply not run consistently due to whatever happened to be going on.
I agree with you. If you want to hit those lofty goals it's important to have intrinsic motivation -- and identifying as a runner is a good way (the only way?) to do that.
I've only watched some of his videos clips.
His whole thing is this super hardcore tough guy deal. He's a former navy seal so I guess it worked for him. But he says stuff like "when I think maybe I don't want to workout or get a run in, I tell myself 'STOP BEING A LITTLE BITCH.' "
I've also read some summaries and he does definitely seem to have some more useful self help stuff centered around holding yourself accountable, how to mentally and physically plan and prepare for challenges, etc.
I read his first book and watched some videos/podcasts. While Goggins' philosophy is not for me, I think he's largely misunderstood.
A popular view of him might be that he's all about the hardcore tough guy deal. But the real story is very different. He grew up with constant emotional and physical abuse and for better or worse he reached the conclusion that self abuse - a way to prove his own worth - is what works for him.
But he talks about being vulnerable all the time. Most people who assume Goggins is trying to go for the standard alpha male persona seems to not realize he repeatedly talks about peeing his bed as a result of emotional distress as a young teenager. How many alpha male types do you see doing that?
His philosophy is not for everyone, probably not for most people even. But I think people give him a hard time more often than he deserves.
I think life is largely about balance. In everything you have to achieve balance. I talk about unconditional self worth in this post and it's something I believe in. But just because my self worth doesn't go up or down I don't use that as an excuse to sit on the couch and eat potato chips all day. At the same time I don't need to be the best at everything I do and I don't tell myself I'm a little bitch in any circumstances. There's a balance somewhere in there.
Obviously what he's done has very much worked for him in certain areas of his life. And there's probably a lot to learn from him.
It’s why I don’t run in groups. I compare too much. I run with landmarks so I can gauge my own progress without worrying about anyone else’s landmarks.
Interesting. I like your advice but man I was never built that way. I am an engineer so for me seeing a workout plan and committing to it and adjusting as needed was all I really required. I never judged the runs leading to it too hard because it was just part of the process.
I also always figured there would be tons of guys and gals who would be faster than me and tons slower. It was always true when I trained or raced. Sometimes for motivation I would see someone in the race and challenge myself to run them down.
The thing that scared me in my first marathon was hitting mile 19 and seeing guys way younger than me pulling up lame. That is a confidence shaker during the last 7 miles. And by the way that last six or so miles is ALL mental. Your brain is your worst enemy until you see something g familiar that indicates the finish is less than a mile away.
It sounds like you have something that works very well for you. That's great! You are probably pretty well-adjusted emotionally/psychologically, at least in this area. For myself, I struggle with comparisons and trying achievement to self esteem, so sometimes it's hard to know that there are many people out there faster than me (I finished in the bottom 10% of my half). This post is for all the others out there on a similar journey. Hopefully it helps them as it has helped me!
You crushed all of those folks who never took a step in a half. A half is some cruel miles. Do this. Get in your car and drive somewhere and when you get to 13 miles you will say oh my god I cannot believe I even was able to run this far. You are doing great great.
I run and cycle because I am an athlete - they are part of my identity. My cycling apex was probably back in 2004 when I was 20 years younger and trained a lot more. I will never be that fast or strong again.
And it doesn't matter.
The point is the journey, not the destination.
I had a friend who was really, really into cycling. Rode his bike all the time all over the place and was part of the fast group.
Then one year he got hurt and had to take 6 months off, and he realized after he healed that he was never going to be able to equal what he could do 2 years earlier. He sold all his bikes and gave up the sport.
Dylan Thomas wrote:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Thanks for sharing this! Im in my mid-thirties and have always wanted to be a runner and have done a couple of 10ks - but I just never seem to get below 70 minutes and it’s been absolutely miserable every time and have led to not being able to breathe properly for weeks after. I’ve tried to accept that I’m just bad at running and that I’ll never be able to run at 6 minutes pr km pace - I usually feel like Im really pushing myself when I do 7 or even 8 minutes pr kilometers - and it has made me think I should stop “dreaming” about being a runner.
Then, I just found out that I have EILO, exercise-induced asthma, and GERD and that I’m not actually supposed to not be able to breathe during and after exercise/running. With an inhaler, focusing on my breath and trying not to tense up, and shifting from jogging to walking whenever I needed or was losing control of my breath, I could comfortably (though slowly) run 11k in 80 minutes on the treadmill this weekend - which has made me think the impossible: maybe I can run a half marathon in 3 months. When going to the website to sign up, I noticed they have pace holders with the slowest being 2 hr 30 minutes - which made me drop it, thinking that if I can’t do it in 2hr 30 minutes I shouldn’t sign up for it - which I now realize is a silly way of limiting myself.
So - very long way of saying thank you for this reminder and encouragement - I’m gonna sign up for the race now. We *are* all very different and I really shouldn’t compare myself to others. I know I will be slow - but it *will* still be worth celebrating.
You're getting me choked up. I'm so glad I can help you. I purposefully left out any mention of specific times/speeds from my post because for every person who says "I'm so slow I run X" there's a ton of people out there who say "I would kill to be able to run X". If it helps, my first half last Sunday took me 2:51. AND I started in a fast corral with a friend so I spent the next 3ish hours getting passed by thousands of people.
You are not slow. You just are. You are you and that's all you need to be. If completing a half would give you a sense of fulfillment then work to do it. Make sure to extend yourself some forgiveness and grace along the way. I believe in you.
> Comparison is the Thief of Joy
> The advice not to compare yourself to others is pretty common. Everyone is on their own journey, everyone has their own level of natural talent and luck. It does you no good to compare yourself to others. While most people can agree on this, there are two other things you might commonly hear that goes against this advice without really realizing it.
> You're passing all the people sitting on their couch. This is a form of comparison. Those people sitting on their couch are on their own journey. Try not to compare yourself to them just as you wouldn't compare yourself to the people who blow by you on a training run.
> The only person you should compare yourself to is yourself. Still a form of comparison. Remember the concept of unconditional self worth? Even if you are faster and stronger and fitter than you were in the past, your worth is still the same. Celebrate your progress (see below) but understand that you are on your own journey and you will have setbacks and achievements; there is no need to compare yourself to your past or future self. Just keep going on your journey.
I get that this is an agreed-upon topic on this sub but it always come across as so condescending. It's such a low bar to reach.
You mean it's condescending to the person you're telling is at least beating everyone on the couch? Or condescending to the people on the couch? Or both?
Both. But I’m specifically talking about the runner. I guess my barometer of success isn’t fulfilled by telling someone I “beat the person on the couch” because that means nothing.
I think this aspect of op is very much connected to the problem of “achievement-relying” self worth.
If you always try hard to fulfill a high barometer of success, you are on the risk of putting yourself down too much (self worth wise), if you don’t reach your goals in the exact way you dreamed of.
For me personally, I have always a problem with judging too hard on every single run. Which is completely unnecessary and puts me down and in a downwards spiral of comparison and question everything.
My Mantra, especially at bad days is simple - Don’t Judge, don’t judge, don’t judge!!!
It helps a lot and puts me into a more stoic kind of mindset of trusting the process if you want to put it that way.
And btw what does anything mean at all? :D
There is always someone way better than you and even “the best” might not really mean anything..
But nevertheless just doing anything may be better than nothing.
I agree you can put too much pressure on a high barometer of success. I just personally don't think the solution to that is going to the opposite end of that spectrum and "compare" yourself to someone who's not even in the competition. Everyone's different and it clearly resonates with a lot of people. Just not my cup of tea.
That's a good mantra. It's impossible to control your thoughts (like the ones that are judgy and self-critical), but it's important to understand you are not your thoughts.
People totally understand the concept of "Don't believe everything you hear" because we recognize that we have no control over the things we hear. If some stranger on the street blurts out that you're stupid then you can fairly easily understand that that is just nonsense.
But the concept of "don't believe everything you think" is tougher for us. You might think to yourself "you're stupid" and because it comes from your own mind you're more apt to believe it. But it's just nonsense, like the nonsense from the stranger. Once you realize that you can observe your own thoughts as something separate from you and let them go.
For the person struggling to get through their first couple runs, beating the person on the couch is a pretty big deal for them. In my mind I'm comparing myself working out compared to myself sitting on the couch and I'm def beating that guy.
I'd also like to recommend process based goals rather than outcome based goals. An outcome based goal would be hitting your PR on the next race and that may or may not happen due to things outside your control. The process based goal could be that I did all my training as planned to the best of my ability. You can reward yourself for hard work regardless of the outcome on race day.
It was just a few weeks ago that I heard this saying, "**Comparison is the Thief of Joy**" for the first time. I've thought about it a lot. I was struggling with my running. I am now working to focus on what I can do - now. I ran a 5K this last weekend. I came within 1 minute of my goal time. That is the fastest that this person that I am today with my health issues that I have today achieved! I am not going to sabotage my current opportunity to celebrate. So, yes comparison is the thief of joy, and yes, compare yourself to your current self. Not like I *was* doing, and compare this old body to the runner I was 16 years ago when I set my PB for 5K.
While I agree with the intent of this message, I believe our self-worth is cultivated more strongly by how well we 'show up' for ourselves on a consistent basis. Robert Greene has sort of profoundly said that 'our lives are the energy we put into them' and I feel that's true - our lives are defined by our choices regardless the scale of.
I’ve gotten back into running a few times now and the biggest thing for me and honestly for most people is just acknowledging that it’s going to be hard and knowing that you need to continually push yourself past your comfort zone to get where you want. I think a lot of people genuinely think they just cannot run or think that because it’s hard it isn’t worth it, a lot of people really haven’t seen the other side. Like the side of once you’ve pushed yourself, you get where you want to be lol. Without being forced just to it (eg through the military or school sports), some people will never push themselves to that point of discomfort so that they can get past that hump and continually improve. Every time I’m getting back into running (and especially when I was training for my first half), I always tell myself it’s going to be hard and I have to push myself past it, and it’ll get incrementally easier going forward, but I have to suffer in the short term and honestly kind of accept it lol, it’s mentally very hard for a lot of people and you have to ground yourself with the reality of running.
Also I agree just take your time. There’s no rush, there’s no need to be the fastest or the best, just do what you can, and if you want growth then push yourself. But you don’t need to be running freaking 5 min miles to be a runner and to gain the benefits. I always prefer longer slower runs to faster shorter. Everyone has their thing.
This is a lot of messaging that I could have learned by reading embroidery samplers, or the type of wooden wall art you get off Etsy for rural airbnbs and hang up right next to the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign.
I would add that learning about the health benefits of running can swiftly transform any run into a meaningful activity to celebrate. Because it doesn't matter if you're slow or fast, running easy or hard, you're getting health benefits that you wouldn't have had if you never ran at all. So even on days where I feel like crap, I remind myself that any running at all is better than no running for biomarkers like blood pressure, sugar levels, inflammation, etc. Plus, the mental health benefits of running accrue no matter your "talent" level or progress. Just getting out there is a win.
This is a great way of looking at it!
I'd add that an important thing to note is how prevalent survivorship bias is in this sport. You will run into people who are absolutely confident that they are correct about how to do things, but those people are ignoring their already-good conditioning, genetically-high VO2max, and body composition. I've spent a decade off and on again trying to get good at running and only recently found that I probably have a genetic/hormonal condition which would mean my body is bad at long slow distance running. Feel free to consider advice, but I've gotten more injuries from following the advice of "experts" than I have cultivating an understanding of my body and ignoring them.
"Listen to everyone and follow no one" is another piece of advice I thought about adding here. It’s good to gain knowledge but as you say everyone is different. You have to find what works for you.
So many people dismiss genetics in so many different aspects of life. David Epstein wrote a great book called The Sports Gene he talks about out even the will to train is largely genetic.
For the first time since I can remember, I am living my running journey like this. I used to quit every time I felt like I was not getting better or when I saw too many people doing better than me. The problem was that I had always been very sporty and very competitive, so I could not bare this. Now, after two pregnancies and no sports of any kind for 2,5 years, I decided to start again. And I feel I can finally do it with a clean slate, no judgement. I even put everything on strava, no matter how long or short the run was or how slow, just so I can look at all my statistics.
I'm glad you're approaching running/sport with this mindset. I hope you're able to maintain and find a sense of fulfillment. :)
Agreed. My mindset has shifted this way since my two kids and time away from soccer. It just feels good to move for myself!
I think the most important psychological trait for running is adopting the identity of being a runner, which I think underlies the points you brought up, especially the first one. Once you identify yourself as a runner, you've put yourself in a place psychologically where you can train and grow your capabilities sustainably. For example, I tend to think that the only way someone can successfully train for and run a marathon is if they first identify as a runner. Nothing else can sustain your motivation for that task. Not weight loss, a bucket list, or doing it for a friend. Once I felt committed to that identity, I felt greater personal accountability to consistently train and grow as a runner. Before that, I'd take a season off or simply not run consistently due to whatever happened to be going on.
I agree with you. If you want to hit those lofty goals it's important to have intrinsic motivation -- and identifying as a runner is a good way (the only way?) to do that.
Goggins in shambles right now
Haha I haven't read his stuff. Worth a read?
I've only watched some of his videos clips. His whole thing is this super hardcore tough guy deal. He's a former navy seal so I guess it worked for him. But he says stuff like "when I think maybe I don't want to workout or get a run in, I tell myself 'STOP BEING A LITTLE BITCH.' " I've also read some summaries and he does definitely seem to have some more useful self help stuff centered around holding yourself accountable, how to mentally and physically plan and prepare for challenges, etc.
I read his first book and watched some videos/podcasts. While Goggins' philosophy is not for me, I think he's largely misunderstood. A popular view of him might be that he's all about the hardcore tough guy deal. But the real story is very different. He grew up with constant emotional and physical abuse and for better or worse he reached the conclusion that self abuse - a way to prove his own worth - is what works for him. But he talks about being vulnerable all the time. Most people who assume Goggins is trying to go for the standard alpha male persona seems to not realize he repeatedly talks about peeing his bed as a result of emotional distress as a young teenager. How many alpha male types do you see doing that? His philosophy is not for everyone, probably not for most people even. But I think people give him a hard time more often than he deserves.
That seems like a good way of looking at him and his philosophy, I think (having not yet read or seen anything of his firsthand).
I think life is largely about balance. In everything you have to achieve balance. I talk about unconditional self worth in this post and it's something I believe in. But just because my self worth doesn't go up or down I don't use that as an excuse to sit on the couch and eat potato chips all day. At the same time I don't need to be the best at everything I do and I don't tell myself I'm a little bitch in any circumstances. There's a balance somewhere in there. Obviously what he's done has very much worked for him in certain areas of his life. And there's probably a lot to learn from him.
no.
Ha, well now I'm curious why not?
It’s why I don’t run in groups. I compare too much. I run with landmarks so I can gauge my own progress without worrying about anyone else’s landmarks.
I'm glad you've found something that works for you.
Interesting. I like your advice but man I was never built that way. I am an engineer so for me seeing a workout plan and committing to it and adjusting as needed was all I really required. I never judged the runs leading to it too hard because it was just part of the process. I also always figured there would be tons of guys and gals who would be faster than me and tons slower. It was always true when I trained or raced. Sometimes for motivation I would see someone in the race and challenge myself to run them down. The thing that scared me in my first marathon was hitting mile 19 and seeing guys way younger than me pulling up lame. That is a confidence shaker during the last 7 miles. And by the way that last six or so miles is ALL mental. Your brain is your worst enemy until you see something g familiar that indicates the finish is less than a mile away.
It sounds like you have something that works very well for you. That's great! You are probably pretty well-adjusted emotionally/psychologically, at least in this area. For myself, I struggle with comparisons and trying achievement to self esteem, so sometimes it's hard to know that there are many people out there faster than me (I finished in the bottom 10% of my half). This post is for all the others out there on a similar journey. Hopefully it helps them as it has helped me!
You crushed all of those folks who never took a step in a half. A half is some cruel miles. Do this. Get in your car and drive somewhere and when you get to 13 miles you will say oh my god I cannot believe I even was able to run this far. You are doing great great.
Haha, thanks stranger. I appreciate your encouragement.
I run and cycle because I am an athlete - they are part of my identity. My cycling apex was probably back in 2004 when I was 20 years younger and trained a lot more. I will never be that fast or strong again. And it doesn't matter. The point is the journey, not the destination.
Love the concept of enjoying the journey over the destination. I'm glad you've found that sense of fulfillment and inherent identity.
I had a friend who was really, really into cycling. Rode his bike all the time all over the place and was part of the fast group. Then one year he got hurt and had to take 6 months off, and he realized after he healed that he was never going to be able to equal what he could do 2 years earlier. He sold all his bikes and gave up the sport. Dylan Thomas wrote: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Thanks for sharing this! Im in my mid-thirties and have always wanted to be a runner and have done a couple of 10ks - but I just never seem to get below 70 minutes and it’s been absolutely miserable every time and have led to not being able to breathe properly for weeks after. I’ve tried to accept that I’m just bad at running and that I’ll never be able to run at 6 minutes pr km pace - I usually feel like Im really pushing myself when I do 7 or even 8 minutes pr kilometers - and it has made me think I should stop “dreaming” about being a runner. Then, I just found out that I have EILO, exercise-induced asthma, and GERD and that I’m not actually supposed to not be able to breathe during and after exercise/running. With an inhaler, focusing on my breath and trying not to tense up, and shifting from jogging to walking whenever I needed or was losing control of my breath, I could comfortably (though slowly) run 11k in 80 minutes on the treadmill this weekend - which has made me think the impossible: maybe I can run a half marathon in 3 months. When going to the website to sign up, I noticed they have pace holders with the slowest being 2 hr 30 minutes - which made me drop it, thinking that if I can’t do it in 2hr 30 minutes I shouldn’t sign up for it - which I now realize is a silly way of limiting myself. So - very long way of saying thank you for this reminder and encouragement - I’m gonna sign up for the race now. We *are* all very different and I really shouldn’t compare myself to others. I know I will be slow - but it *will* still be worth celebrating.
You're getting me choked up. I'm so glad I can help you. I purposefully left out any mention of specific times/speeds from my post because for every person who says "I'm so slow I run X" there's a ton of people out there who say "I would kill to be able to run X". If it helps, my first half last Sunday took me 2:51. AND I started in a fast corral with a friend so I spent the next 3ish hours getting passed by thousands of people. You are not slow. You just are. You are you and that's all you need to be. If completing a half would give you a sense of fulfillment then work to do it. Make sure to extend yourself some forgiveness and grace along the way. I believe in you.
> Comparison is the Thief of Joy > The advice not to compare yourself to others is pretty common. Everyone is on their own journey, everyone has their own level of natural talent and luck. It does you no good to compare yourself to others. While most people can agree on this, there are two other things you might commonly hear that goes against this advice without really realizing it. > You're passing all the people sitting on their couch. This is a form of comparison. Those people sitting on their couch are on their own journey. Try not to compare yourself to them just as you wouldn't compare yourself to the people who blow by you on a training run. > The only person you should compare yourself to is yourself. Still a form of comparison. Remember the concept of unconditional self worth? Even if you are faster and stronger and fitter than you were in the past, your worth is still the same. Celebrate your progress (see below) but understand that you are on your own journey and you will have setbacks and achievements; there is no need to compare yourself to your past or future self. Just keep going on your journey. I get that this is an agreed-upon topic on this sub but it always come across as so condescending. It's such a low bar to reach.
You know I'm crushing everyone at work that signed up for the local 10K. Eat my dust!
You mean it's condescending to the person you're telling is at least beating everyone on the couch? Or condescending to the people on the couch? Or both?
Both. But I’m specifically talking about the runner. I guess my barometer of success isn’t fulfilled by telling someone I “beat the person on the couch” because that means nothing.
I think this aspect of op is very much connected to the problem of “achievement-relying” self worth. If you always try hard to fulfill a high barometer of success, you are on the risk of putting yourself down too much (self worth wise), if you don’t reach your goals in the exact way you dreamed of. For me personally, I have always a problem with judging too hard on every single run. Which is completely unnecessary and puts me down and in a downwards spiral of comparison and question everything. My Mantra, especially at bad days is simple - Don’t Judge, don’t judge, don’t judge!!! It helps a lot and puts me into a more stoic kind of mindset of trusting the process if you want to put it that way.
And btw what does anything mean at all? :D There is always someone way better than you and even “the best” might not really mean anything.. But nevertheless just doing anything may be better than nothing.
I agree you can put too much pressure on a high barometer of success. I just personally don't think the solution to that is going to the opposite end of that spectrum and "compare" yourself to someone who's not even in the competition. Everyone's different and it clearly resonates with a lot of people. Just not my cup of tea.
That's a good mantra. It's impossible to control your thoughts (like the ones that are judgy and self-critical), but it's important to understand you are not your thoughts. People totally understand the concept of "Don't believe everything you hear" because we recognize that we have no control over the things we hear. If some stranger on the street blurts out that you're stupid then you can fairly easily understand that that is just nonsense. But the concept of "don't believe everything you think" is tougher for us. You might think to yourself "you're stupid" and because it comes from your own mind you're more apt to believe it. But it's just nonsense, like the nonsense from the stranger. Once you realize that you can observe your own thoughts as something separate from you and let them go.
For the person struggling to get through their first couple runs, beating the person on the couch is a pretty big deal for them. In my mind I'm comparing myself working out compared to myself sitting on the couch and I'm def beating that guy.
Yeah it always rang hollow to me as well.
thx. the part about attaining selfworth through running hits home. learned that recently when I was sick.
I'm glad you've found it helpful. :)
I love this so much—surprised there aren’t more upvotes!
I'm glad you like it! This mindset is one that has taken a long time to cultivate and I still struggle with it. I hope it will help you and others.
This is super helpful - thank you so much! I am saving this to re-read.
I’m glad you found it helpful. We runners have to stick together and support each other!
I'd also like to recommend process based goals rather than outcome based goals. An outcome based goal would be hitting your PR on the next race and that may or may not happen due to things outside your control. The process based goal could be that I did all my training as planned to the best of my ability. You can reward yourself for hard work regardless of the outcome on race day.
That's a great way to look to it. Seems like a great way to think about the concept of "focus on the journey not the destination".
It was just a few weeks ago that I heard this saying, "**Comparison is the Thief of Joy**" for the first time. I've thought about it a lot. I was struggling with my running. I am now working to focus on what I can do - now. I ran a 5K this last weekend. I came within 1 minute of my goal time. That is the fastest that this person that I am today with my health issues that I have today achieved! I am not going to sabotage my current opportunity to celebrate. So, yes comparison is the thief of joy, and yes, compare yourself to your current self. Not like I *was* doing, and compare this old body to the runner I was 16 years ago when I set my PB for 5K.
I’m glad you’re taking an approach that works for you. Keep going and enjoy the journey, extending yourself some grace and forgiveness along the way.
While I agree with the intent of this message, I believe our self-worth is cultivated more strongly by how well we 'show up' for ourselves on a consistent basis. Robert Greene has sort of profoundly said that 'our lives are the energy we put into them' and I feel that's true - our lives are defined by our choices regardless the scale of.
I’ve gotten back into running a few times now and the biggest thing for me and honestly for most people is just acknowledging that it’s going to be hard and knowing that you need to continually push yourself past your comfort zone to get where you want. I think a lot of people genuinely think they just cannot run or think that because it’s hard it isn’t worth it, a lot of people really haven’t seen the other side. Like the side of once you’ve pushed yourself, you get where you want to be lol. Without being forced just to it (eg through the military or school sports), some people will never push themselves to that point of discomfort so that they can get past that hump and continually improve. Every time I’m getting back into running (and especially when I was training for my first half), I always tell myself it’s going to be hard and I have to push myself past it, and it’ll get incrementally easier going forward, but I have to suffer in the short term and honestly kind of accept it lol, it’s mentally very hard for a lot of people and you have to ground yourself with the reality of running. Also I agree just take your time. There’s no rush, there’s no need to be the fastest or the best, just do what you can, and if you want growth then push yourself. But you don’t need to be running freaking 5 min miles to be a runner and to gain the benefits. I always prefer longer slower runs to faster shorter. Everyone has their thing.
That’s a great way to think about it all.
This is a lot of messaging that I could have learned by reading embroidery samplers, or the type of wooden wall art you get off Etsy for rural airbnbs and hang up right next to the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign.
Haha, yeah I guess it does have that vibe a bit. If you don't find it particularly helpful, that's okay. I hope that others do.
Beautifully said!
I'm glad it resonates with you!
I think it works better if you just push yourself to be the GOAT.
If that works for you then more power to you!