Before I get into today’s post, I just want to encourage to keep the families of those affected by the Connecticut elementary school shooting in your prayers. I’m deeply saddened by the tragedy that has taken the lives of so many innocent people/children. They’ll definitely remain in my thoughts and prayers for awhile.
Moving onto what seems like such trivial news now…
IT’S FRIDAY!!! How is this possible? It feels like Tuesday to me. I’m really excited the weekend is almost here though. Sunday = decorating Christmas cookies + seeing some of my favorite people.
Before the fun of the weekend, though, I have one more run to do.
Workout
On Wednesday I was shooting for 12 miles, but it turned into 7 horrible miles. I didn’t follow my own advice from a Facebook status on Monday…
I ate a lot of crap—chocolate included. The weather? Meh. I avoided “crunchy leaves.” But the food consumption prior to my big run was a big mistake. I felt super nauseous the WHOLE time. It was really hard for me to accept the fact that my long run was NOT happening.
Today, I did my best to make up for it by completing 10 miles at 1:33:11—aka 9:19 pace. (Felt so good to finish it.) A short run tomorrow is in the books, and then I’ll be done with this week of running. Score! (It’s becoming less fun as I push myself harder and as the weather gets colder.)
As I go through bad running days and read so many running blogs, hearing about people’s awesome feats, I can’t help but compare myself to them and wish I could run sub-8-minute miles or run 500 marathons in a year (exaggeration).
The Comparison Trap
Whether it’s not getting in a long distance or going at a super slow pace, it’s easy to get caught up in the comparison trap when it comes to running. In my case on Wednesday, I just had to remember that 1. it was just one run—a minor setback, 2. everyone has a bad run once in awhile—they’re learning experiences, and 3. you’ll get better—it just takes some time. I may never be the best runner out there, but I can keep improving on myself and see where that takes me.
It also helps for me to remember that…
The people you compare yourself to have not always been the best and probably don’t even consider themselves the best. We all look up to different people and work towards different goals.
Beyond running, the comparison trap happens in so many other areas in our lives. Whether you don’t think you’re skinny enough / pretty enough / strong enough / … GOOD enough, take a step back and try to be the best version of YOU—not anyone else.
When we keep comparing ourselves to others, it’s quite difficult to truly be happy because we’ll never be good enough in our own eyes. Look at where you’re at in your running or other area of life, and make goals according to how far along you are. Don’t sign up for a marathon when you can barely even run a 5K. I’ve learned that baby steps can lead you to the unimaginable.
A little bit of progress at a time can lead to amazing results. A few years ago a half marathon was insane to me, and I didn’t think I could do it. I did. Now I’m sitting here 2 years later and in the process of training for my first marathon. I must be 1. making progress and 2. straight-up nuts. Just understand that the wonderful results don’t usually happen overnight. It takes work and dedication. Remember…
If you keep trying your hardest, you’ll get there. It may take longer than you planned and be harder than you thought it would be, but you’ll feel SO good when you get there. As you work your way up the ladder of amazingness, pretty soon you’ll be the king/queen of the world. Ish.
Try this:
Instead of basing your goals off of what others are doing, change your focus.
I find others inspiring because they are so good at what they do, and I’d love to be where they’re at someday. This said, I know I have my work cut out for me. Others give me the inspiration to set new running goals and to keep working at it. As for now, I’m trying my hardest to reach my goal of running a marathon…for ME. So I know I am capable of a feat I’ve never even dreamed I could accomplish until about 6 months ago.
Just think, as you work to reach your goals, people are looking up to YOU for your dedication and passion. Don’t be afraid to get inspired by others but make sure you’re living life to be the best version of you, not the best version of someone else. By doing so, you can avoid the comparison trap and be the awesome you everyone loves.
What’s a major goal you’re working towards?
How do you avoid comparing yourself to others?
Are you as in love as I am with fitness inspirational quotes? Pinterest for the win!
I love the inspirational quotes! Your post was very inspirational as well
Thanks! That was my goal 🙂
I second this, big time. It’s so easy to start comparing yourself to others and feel defeated. (It’s interesting that usually we feel like we are lacking when we compare, not realizing how good we have it compared to other, different people.) I love the motivational quotes.
It’s true. We compare ourselves to others, while others may be comparing themselves to us. It’s a vicious cycle.