Don’t limit yourself because of fear!
Over the years I have trained with and have coached athletes of all levels and abilities. The one thing that has always stood out to me is that those who are most successful tend to have a specific focus on the bigger picture. The races they sign up for fall in line with their long term goals and they spend less time chatting about their training and more time actually putting the work in.
Talent can only take you so far. I have had athletes who have started in the back of the pack and have ended up becoming some of the fastest runners on the team. I have also had runners who have started as shorter distance runners and have accomplished distances they never thought were possible to them. The reality is that our training at Spewak Training is not special. We do not have any secret formulas.
What I can tell you is that the members of our team who are consistently reaching their personal goals year in and year out are also the ones who are consistently going above and beyond to stay focused and committed to one goal along the way. Half the battle of training is having to focus on what it is you are working towards. Running is not a sport you can pick up after months off and expect to hop right into a training cycle and run PRs. As athletes we are not entitled to anything.
If you think the runners who are running PRs are lucky, look real closely at how they train. They aren’t perfect. They don’t always have great days. Their uniqueness may be their ability to get out every day but trust me most humans possess these same qualities. Their devotion to being committed to the process is why they have more good days than bad days in this sport. We all have different reasons for why we run. You don’t have to run PRs to be successful. Success is relative and we all should train for the races and runs that make most sense to our love of the sport.
With that said, if you are someone who falls somewhere in the middle, then, you may want to reevaluate what your goals really are. When you choose to train for races and you don’t hit the times you think you were destined to run but only trained consistently for half the year, then, you may want to go back to the drawing board and figure out what it is that you really want from this sport. Being consistent and working hard through the good and bad can be really scary. It’s important to acknowledge the courage of the athletes who do stay focused because their PRs and personal wins are a direct result of the pain and agony they experience along the way. Run for your reasons but don’t limit yourself out of fear. Keep working!
*Spewak Training is currently taking on new clients. Email contact@spewaktraining.com to schedule your free 30 minute consultation call today.*
