February 23, 2013

I'm not a great runner, and that's okay

I have a problem.

And I'm not sure how to word it, but I need to get it off my mind.  Maybe I'll never even publish this post.  We'll see.  Oops, looks like I did it.

My problem-

I have a very hard time accepting praise.  Accepting that I'm good at something.

On the flip side, I'm very good at nit picking everything I do.

Let's back this up (that's what she said).

(are you getting sick of twss?  Let's pretend you're not)

On my runWednesday, I had a speed workout.  I had 3 layers on, and I felt SLOW.  So, so, so slow.

I was getting down on myself.

"You're running so slow!"

"Out of breath at a 9:00 minute mile?  Good luck breaking 4 hours in the marathon."

"This is really sad."

"Why are you even running?"

Running is physical AND mental.  And some days it's easier than others.  Wednesday, it was ROUGH.  I wanted to quit a hundred times.  I kept telling myself to just go a little bit further, that I could. not. stop.

And then I had a bit of an epiphany.

Who CARES how fast I'm going?

Was I out of breath? YES.  Was I giving it my all?  YES.  Was I running hard?  YES.

So, why can't that be enough?

I was pushing myself and I never stopped trying.  Isn't that the point of training?  To push yourself?  To overcome hardships?  To kick butt?!

I need to stop comparing my "fast" runs to others'.  Just because my 5k pace is someone's marathon pace does not make me a bad runner.

When you run, you are a runner.  The end.  I need to let go of the concept that I suck because I can't run a 3 hour marathon.

I need to remember to just be the best runner that I can be.  And that quitting is what would make me a terrible runner.

End preach.


NO question today.  I just want to say that you are awesome :) Yes, you!



2 comments:

  1. Love it! It's easy to get caught in a comparison game, but if you are out there running then you are a runner. Period.

    And, running is definitely physical and mental. If anything, I think that doing speedwork is takes ALOT of mental work.

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  2. There will always be someone faster and slower than you, so keep focusing on those comparisons being against yourself not others. If you're moving, you're doing so much better than MUCH of population. Keep at it! :)

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