Running, Mindset & Pushing
As you may know from previous blogs and posts that I have wrote about running and my running journey. This time last year I had completed the Manchester Marathon and I was so thrilled that I had done it!! Second attempt at a marathon and finally can tick it off my bucket list. My recovery was fine too, nothing bad to report there but the mental side of it wasn’t something that I was totally ready for. I struggled with my running after that point when I look back, I still ran but not as much, the same drive, purpose wasn’t there and the training for the marathon was hard. Once the dark, cold, wet months hit, well, I was wanting to run even less!! I have always found the winter months hard anyway but this year they were harder.
At the beginning of 2025, I ran even less but the strange thing was, I wasn’t missing it.
I kept pushing it though, the thought that I should be running, beating myself up that I wasn’t. I was due to run in two 10 mile races and I didn’t, I just couldn’t get the training in, my heart wasn’t in it and so my body wasn’t either. It felt really hard and heavy. I also was pushing myself to try and do it and then felt negative about myself because I wasn’t. It was creating resistance in me which is not good.
There is a funny thing about mindset, knowing all the techniques, things to do to get into that positive mindset, I felt a bit of a failure on 2 different levels. One, I’d ran a marathon, I should be able to run and secondly, I work with people and talk about mindset and I can’t do something! It really hit home, yet my own advice I wasn’t listening to. It wasn’t about me reframing the situation, giving myself a kick up the bum, visualising the positives of running, thinking about what running gives me and pull my big girl pants on and get out there. It was me realising and accepting that I am aloud to change, to not enjoy the push of having to train for certain distances, to enjoy running in nice weather, to not be bothered about my time, to not have to prove anything and that is ok!! To run freely if I wanted to, to run with friends because I wanted to. I had sucked the joy out of it and made it another task that I “have to do”, it had also become a bit of an identity too and don’t get me started on labelling the run as good or bad by the time!.
How often are we pushing something that we no longer enjoy doing because we’ve always done it or we use to enjoy it so we should still enjoy it now??
How often do we continue to push ourselves, knowing we don’t want to do something but saying no and admitting it is harder, so we continue to do the same thing as if that is the easier option or is it?
Change is hard, staying stuck and unhappy is harder and takes up more energy!
I was due to run a race at the weekend and I dropped out, I did a training run on the Friday morning before and that is when it all came to me, why are you pushing yourself doing something that you just don’t enjoy now? That is not what you are an advocate for, that causes you more stress, pushing yourself when you don’t want to. So, I got a mile into the run and ended up in Sainsbury’s buying Easter Eggs!! hahaha I then walked home, happy that I still got my steps in! So relived that I had decided on something and it felt light, it felt right!
I love doing other things now, that keep my mind and body healthy and I will still run but it will not be forced.
What things are you forcing and in return are taking up more of your energy because it is a fight, a struggle because there is the energy doing it and the energy you are using fighting yourself and your inner thoughts?
We can feel exhausted thinking about it because we are constantly thinking about not wanting to do it. I was, it was on my mind for weeks about this race and getting the training in rather than going with the flow, the flow of what I want to do and what feels right, listening to my body. Taking up my energy and mental space, WHY??
Yes, sometimes we can be lazy and need that kick, but when you know you are fighting it, something must change. Otherwise, you are actually causing more harm to yourself, your nervous system, your health, than you actually are doing good.
This is the same when you are doing things for other people when you really don’t want to but feel you have to or you owe them, it’s draining, isn’t it?
Running might not be your thing, but I am sure that you will be able to resonate with it, what are you pushing and fighting. What don’t you want to do anymore, what changes do you need to make