Advice for those going through a hard time in the sport of running!
We all have our ups and downs in the sport of running. One of the hardest things in my opinion is when you are having your downs and it seems like everyone else is experiencing their best days. We are fortunate to have so many ways to communicate with other runners through Strava and other various forms of social media. However, sometimes the hardest thing is logging onto those platforms when you aren’t feeling YOUR best. It’s normal to feel this way and I assure you that everyone experiences this at some point.
I have always believed it’s really important to learn what the trigger points to your race/training stress and nerves are. When you are able to identify those points, then, I encourage athletes to build a plan for how they are going to attack those things and execute a training program where they are able to train as happy and healthy as possible. In my opinion, I believe it’s important for people to learn how to deal with some of these mental obstacles, however, I think there is a fine line between improvement and forcing yourself to live through things that are going to be a detriment to your overall physical and mental health.
I believe that to train and compete at your best, you have to mentally be at your best. That’s different for everyone. I am a huge fan of Strava. I think it is one of the best apps I have come across from the athlete and coaching perspective. I thoroughly enjoy seeing others' workouts and hearing the stories of the good and bad of the sport. I personally have never had an issue with it but I do know that several of my athletes have had to take a step back and reevaluate their relationship with the app. In some cases, I have seen runners underperform in races and workouts all because of the stress and anxiety they have built from Strava or social media.
If you are having a hard time right now, I encourage you to remember that infamous quote, “tough times don’t last but tough people.” The athletes who may seem miles away from you now from a mental and physical standpoint, have experienced your same feelings. More times than one those athletes have figured out ways to put themselves in the best position possible to train without putting too much pressure on the process or result. We all are motivated differently. Figure out what you need and be unapologetic for any adjustments you may need to make. If you need to make your Strava private, then, do it. If you need to change your social environment and train and follow a different crowd of runners, do it. Make the best choice for YOU and don’t ever count yourself out. Your day is coming soon too. Cheers!
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