When you first start running, there normally is a goal the runner has set for themselves. For some it could be to lose weight, get in shape, start a healthy lifestyle, run for a cause, or challenge oneself. Regardless of the reason, the runner has made a conscious decision to go forward with their plan. All this is well and good but what usually happens for some is they become disenchanted with their progress and they either stop or go to the other extreme and ramp up their mileage too quickly with an end result of developing an injury. These two perspectives are not what the individuals had in mind when they began on their running journey. What they envisioned was being successful and achieving their goal. What changed for them as they began moving forward with their plan?

I think that sometimes we set our bar too high for ourselves or we want unrealistic results in a finite amount of time. In a sense, we are sabotaging our own efforts. I truly think we lose our perspective of what is reasonable and become entranced in an alternate reality. “If I don’t miss any of these planned training days and I run extra I will be allot faster.” Only to end up injured and/or missing out on the race. Or “I have been running for a while, why hasn’t it gotten easier to do?” 

Running can be challenging for everyone but each runner needs to learn that they are their only competitor. They must understand that to be successful they will need to address the person in the mirror. Learning why we set an unreachable goal upon ourselves can help you break the self-sabotage cycle.  Allowing yourself to be more patient in achieving your goals is worth the wait. Realizing it’s okay to make adjustments and missing out on a planned run in order to allow for more recovery. The only person we need to discuss this with is yourself also known as the competitor. Learning to realize it’s not about a race, it’s about the journey, should help most of us size up the competition. Remember your competitor is not the folks running next to you but the runner in your head and by the way you got this!