Tuesday, August 20, 2019

"No Excuses"

We've all heard it before. The various "motivational" sayings that boil down to "no excuses."
You know, this kind of BS that tries to tough-love you into feeling bad for having human setbacks.

Got a cold?
Pulling some all-nighters?
Working extra hours?
Losing sleep with your sick kids?
Struggling with grief or depression?
Coming off an injury?
Needing a little extra personal-time with your SO?
Just starting your period?

Covered in hives because you have the world's best luck and somehow contracted a virus out of nowhere?
That last one maaaay be a little personal right now. Don't worry, I'm not contagious.
The thing is - and no one who knows me will be surprised by this - I don't ascribe to "no excuses." No one reading this blog is an elite, professional runner making their income off their race results.

Running is a hobby.

It is supposed to be life-giving.

When you're in a situation where going out for a run just feels like the last thing you want to do...when you can hardly think straight and just need that extra downtime, that extra fifteen minutes of sleep, that extra mindless TV show?

Take it.

Go easy on yourself.

Running will be there for you when you're ready to come back to it. Forcing it can do more harm than good. When you buy into the "no excuses" mindset and then have a bad run or a missed run, it can wreak havoc on mental wellbeing. You beat yourself up. You forget the joy of running. You start to feel like running is a punishment instead of a benefit. Negative motivation simply isn't as effective as positive motivation/reinforcement.
So go ahead. Cut yourself some slack; take a little time off. Rest up. The first run back will feel like a welcome-back instead of a chore, and that's really what it's all about.

ABK

2 comments:

  1. Thank you! Sometimes I need to be reminded to take it easier on myself.

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  2. This! I hate the saying 'you will never regret a run'....because I have regretted many runs. Times when I should have listened to my body and rested but didn't and ended up injured, sick or just burned out. I think some of the things people do just to get a run (or bike ride or swim) in can be crazy and I have been there. But as I get older (and hopefully wiser) I am trying to just relax and know that a missed workout (or two or three) isn't the end of the world! Thank you for the important reminder!

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