Running is all in your head!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again…and again…running is all in your head. I need to write a quick post about what happened on my run this morning.

I started my run off feeling like a slug. It didn’t help that I went to bed feeling fat, and surprisingly enough I was not any thinner upon waking. Ugh! It is so hard to not eat like I did when I was younger. I use to scoff at people when they said that. What an excuse to put on the pounds. Well the brutal reality is finally here. 🙁  It may have taken a little longer considering I’m a runner but it is here nonetheless! I mention this because this is what is in my head already at the beginning of my run. 

This morning while running (and I use the term loosely, it feels more like waddling)  all I can think of is how this extra weight is making me feel slow and heavy. I’m seriously wondering how heavy people run (and they do. All the time).  My pace is about 10:30/40, “not horrible” I think, “I mean, I am just warming up”. As I move into my second mile I feel a little better until halfway through when I check out my Garmin and I see 11:15 in the spot that I think is my pace. I freak out. Seriously? 11:15? Is this what it has come to? I’m an old, heavy, slow runner now? I thought I was running a little faster than that, maybe not my fastest but geez.

Focusing on the numbers. 🙁

So I trudge along, fretting over my slow pace until almost mile 3 when I check my Garmin again and notice under 11:20 it says “lap pace“. Oh-Em-Gee! What the heck is that? Apparently that’s the pace of my mile (lap) which includes standing at the red lights along my route. When did I change my screen to that? Ugh. So I stop and fix my screen to show my actual pace and take off again. A few seconds later I  check my watch again and see 9:35. Holy cow! Are you kidding me? Here I was freaking out, feeling bad about myself, feeling like a slug, when in fact I am running at a pretty good pace (for me). I feel so much better. I feel strong…and light. Why? What changed? I was running at the same, or close to the same pace my whole run, but when I thought I was running at 11:15 I felt slow, until I realized I was actually running at 9:35, then I suddenly felt good about myself. I felt fast and strong. Hmmm…proof that running is all in your head. And proof that your pace does not define you…as a runner or a person.

Be proud and keep the positive thoughts coming!

I wanted to share this because I was feeling pretty bad about myself when in fact I should be proud to just be out there, doing the best I can. We all should be proud of our accomplishments no matter how big or small. Walking around the block is an accomplishment for some, the same as taking a much needed rest day is for others. Don’t let negative thoughts pollute your head. Fill it with positive thoughts and just keep going.

Do you focus on numbers? Do negative thoughts get in your head? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear how you deal with it.

Until next time…

Thank for reading!

Keep Running!

                         Denise