Or so I thought.
I'm realizing that the more I learn about running, the less I know. When I decided back in 2008/2009 that I was going to run a marathon, I was certain that I would qualify for the Boston Marathon on my first race. The Boston Marathon is on the top of my bucket list. Yep...I was one smart cookie. Ha!
I'm still 33 minutes away from crossing off that marathon my list. Yeah....it is not as easy as I thought. This little thing called injuries. Many, many injuries.
But I'm learning. I've read every single thing there is about running cadence, strength training, stretching and patience. That last one is the kicker. Becoming an outstanding runner takes time. Lots and lots and lots of time.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.- Lao-Tzu
You’ve no doubt heard this. And you’ve probably recited it in your mind on a run or at the gym when you’re just beginning to get in shape. You have a goal in sight and this quote brings you back to the current moment.
But the problem is that many runners forget all of the steps between the first one and the goal. If your goal is to run under two hours for the half marathon then you need to be honest about all of the little steps to get to that goal.
…and what I’d rather see you do is to get the goal out of mind completely, but rather focus on the process, not the outcome. Process orientation, not outcome orientation.
You should have goals, but you should take it one step at a time. And you should be honest about the fact that you don’t know how many steps it will take to get there.
I'm running albeit slowly. I'm strength training like a mad woman. I can now do 16 REAL push ups. When I started, I could only do 2. I can even do a few one-armed push ups on a Bosu Ball. I can do star planks and lunges till the cows come home. Dips, skull crushers and supermans aren't scary any more. I wore through one foam roller and am on my second.
All these "extras" are part of the process. I still have a long ways to go, but I've come a long ways. I still have a lot of miles to run and a lot of speed workouts to complete.
AND there is still a lot to learn. A few more mountains to climb. A few more crash/burns to endure.
This is such a great post Toby and really really admire your insight and perspective. Such an amazing example you are and think about how much better of a person you have become because of these running injuries. Injuries force us to dig deep and stregnthen other areas of our life and this is exactly what you have done. Just keep moving forward, one single step at a time.
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