We Are All On Different Journeys, Be Sure You Are Having Fun On Yours!
A big concern for many of my athletes is that they aren’t good enough for their sport. There are days I ponder the same question. When I first started racing the internet was barely a thing and I would show up to a race not knowing anything about who was registered and often times not knowing anything about the course. I saw a few super fast people who were typically gone before I finished and then waited a month to see my results in the running magazine when it came out. I also ran with Timex style watches and had nothing other than a finish time to compare myself to others. We didn’t have segments or even much information about the pros and what they were doing. In some ways this was really refreshing and fun. As time went on we had watches that could track our runs, social platforms to virtually race other people and the ability to snag segments and compare yourself to everyone else who has done that race or route. I do think this opened the door for more people to show up and do amazing things but also created a lot of comparison and mental health struggles.
When I was a competitive mountain biker I showed up and raced. Sometimes I didn’t know where I placed until I read the mountain bike magazine with results. When I became a competitive runner results were becoming more immediate with chip timing so I knew where I placed. It was not until GPS watches and social sharing that I noticed a shift in our emotional well being as a whole. Personally I found myself experiencing more anxiety and stress about racing and even training when I felt like the world was watching me. Everyone could see my Strava and which days I was fast and which ones I was slow. I pushed myself so hard to avoid having people see a slow run and ask me what happened. This led to anxiety and injuries. I see this often with my athletes. Ultimately I had to come off of social media to enjoy my athletic journey again. Some people excel while putting themselves out there, I don’t. Take time to acknowledge your relationship with the social media aspect of your sport.
Many of my athletes follow the super stars of their sport, and they should! It give inspiration and can be a big motivator. The downside is that it becomes easy to compare yourself to the best in your sport or your local speedsters. You see how they eat, train, what they choose to post and their workouts. There are so many different ways to train that there is no one size fits all method. Focusing too heavily on what your idol is doing may not be what is best for you. Take time to learn about yourself and what your mind and body needs to do your best!
I work with a lot of moms and dads with stressful and time consuming careers. What I try to help my athletes understand is that a professional athlete is paid to perform their best. Professional athletes have a team beside them guiding them with nutrition, workouts, emotional struggles, body work, and other aspects of training to win the most prominent races. If you have a demanding job, busy life, people who depend on you and very little time for yourself it is important to not compare yourself to others. We all have different amounts of available time for our training and varying amounts of emotional capacity which is based on stress levels. Some people have more flexibility and time while others have every minute of their day accounted for. Be honest with what you have available for your training and self care routine.
We are all on different journeys in life and you need to embrace the one you are on now! Life is a series of choices and most of us need to work. Many people choose to raise a family. Our time becomes spent doing for others instead of doing everything for ourselves. It is important to put aside time for yourself, but depending on your commitments to work and others, you may not have as much as you would like to have. Remember, a career and family can be rewarding and fun too! Choose a realistic goal for yourself and if possible find ways to make your family feel like a part of your journey while also reminding them that you need time for yourself too! Don’t be afraid to explain to your family that you need a bit of time each day for yourself so that you can be happy and a better person to be around. Teach your kids that they can have a family and still do something healthy for themselves. You may only have 30 minutes to an hour each day but you can easily find fitness or train for a 5k or 10k with that time!
Having your boss understand your need for “you time” can sometimes be challenging. The truth is that if you have time for yourself to exercise and have self care you will be more productive and happier at work! During my time as a dental hygienist I was fortunate to have been able to explain that I needed time for a life outside of work while interviewing for the job and only accepted a job that respected my time. This is not an easy conversation to have at an interview but, even though finding a job can be tough, finding the right one that aligns with your values is important. Most employers will be receptive to your honesty and you may be surprised at how they react! There have been multiple studies that show how exercise can improve mood, decrease risk of missed days at work for health issues and increase productivity! Some places even have gyms on site which can make being healthy even easier!
At the end of the day, having fun and staying healthy are important goals to have on your fitness journey. Chasing PR’s, podiums and bucket list events is exciting, but make sure you enjoy your training! 90% of your time is typically spent training for your race, not racing your race! The moments between the day you hit the registration button to the moment you get to the start of your race should be fun and playful. They should be spent learning, growing and enjoying the ups and the downs. Take note of what you did leading up to a great workout and reflect on what you could have done differently leading up to a tough workout. Training for an endurance event is problem solving, putting out fires, embracing the awesome days and making peace with the tough days. Be kind to yourself and remember to have fun. When you take your last breath make sure you do it with a heart filled with joy, love and no regrets.
If you need help navigating your life and your sport reach out! I would love to help you have more fun in your sport and help you to stop comparing yourself to others. Wherever you are in your fitness journey you are good enough and you belong. <3