Running is a very individual sport. What works for one will not work for another. There are a variety of issues that runners experience and an even more vast array of solutions to any particular problem. With such differences, it's no surprise that I am occasionally bothered by some of the posts and comments I read.
Today I ran the Biggest Loser half marathon in Buffalo. The mileage from this race brings my August total to 175.57, a personal record for me. In the nearly five years I've been running, I've never logged that many miles in a month, and wow! This accomplishment feels great!
This was a tough goal to meet. To reach it, I needed to log a minimum of 5.65 miles every day. There were days when I could only fit in a mile - either because my schedule was full or my body simply needed a break - which meant that for the rest of the week/month, I had to play catch-up. Some days I simply just didn't want to run at all, but my IRun4 buddies helped to motivate me. At the beginning of the month, I contemplated upping my goal to 200 miles (I like round, even numbers) but quickly changed my mind after the end of the first week. The goal I had set was enough.
This evening, I sat down to peruse some of the groups to see what was happening in the cyber running world. I was on a high from finishing the race and adding up my monthly mileage. In fact, I felt pretty darned good about it all, and then I read this post: "Okay my month [of] slacking is over. Just 352 miles this month. Now back to normal[.]"
Good Lord! If 352 miles this month is considered "slacking," what the heck have I been doing?! That's a minimum of 11.35 miles every day. How does one do this, exactly? Suddenly all my hard work seemed paltry.
Then in a different group, a woman posted that she ran 120 miles for the month but felt that wasn't enough compared to the monthly totals other people were touting. I felt a camaraderie with her instantly. Wasn't I too feeling inadequate?
We are so hard on ourselves. We work so hard for what we want, and when we accomplish it, we don't allow ourselves to enjoy the fruits of our labor. We hold up our accomplishments next to someone else's and too often find that ours pale in comparison.
We can also be blinded by past successes. I'll use today's race as an example. Going into this half marathon, my plan was to do at least one of two things: set a half marathon personal record by beating my best time of 2:05 and change, and/or finish the race in under two hours. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to accomplish either one of these goals. In fact, I knew by the third mile that neither goal was going to happen. It was a bitter realization, and my failure to follow through shadowed much of the race. I'm okay with today's results. Despite heat/humidity, muscle cramps and stomach issues, I finished with a respectable time. But still, if only I could have run faster like I have in the past ...
Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes, attributed to Theodore Roosevelt: "Comparison is the thief of joy." This quote is valid in nearly every aspect of life. I need to laminate and post it everywhere - my bedroom/bathroom/running space, my classroom, make it my laptop wallpaper, even - so that I am constantly reminded of its truth.
We are in charge of our own Happiness. When we let Comparisons dictate our worth, we leave open the door that houses Joy and before we know it, in walks Inadequacy and Incompetency, Misery and Melancholy, Anxiety and Anger, and let's not forget that green-eyed monster, Jealousy. If we feed them, they will take over. It is better to leave these types of guests out in the cold to starve.
Thanks for reading, friends. :)
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