When I was starting out at running I would compare myself endlessly with other beginners.
Thinking back to my first marathon, I ran it as much for the acknowledgment from my peers as I did for charity. I wanted to be recognised for something other than dancing in nightclubs like a blind epileptic in the middle of an earthquake.
I had this awful tendency to feel better about myself if I ran faster than a competitor and would then feel like hell for weeks if they did better me.
It was a fucked up attitude to have and it only served to hinder whatever small progress I was making at the time.
But now I understand why I felt this way.
Very low self-esteem, boy. Very low self-esteem.
Up until I started running, I thought that success was a scarce commodity in life, probably because it was scarce in my own up to that point.
Since then running has taught me that we have control over what is construed as a success.
If you just try to improve for your own reasons whilst enjoying what you’re doing then you will find at least some degree of success, no matter how small it may seem at the time.
Like attracts like. If you give yourself a basis to build upon, then you will continue to improve and attract more success into your life.
Personally, I’ve never been one for setting myself huge unachievable goals. I’d rather be realistic, travel to a race, have a good night out and then try to run a personal best in the morning.
If I can do all of the above without getting into a drunken fist-fight with a 7 foot tall Scottish woman with a lisp, then I’ll be content with myself.
Avoid the 7 foot tall Scottish women like the plague. They’ll make you shave their teeth and then adopt you as their special little play thing.
Running is about liberation and you can’t be free if you live your life with a jealous heart.
Now if I talk to someone post race and they’ve finished in a better time than me (which is likely) I’ll congratulate them and ask them for some advice and actually listen to what they are saying.
I’ve learnt this much from faster runners so far.
- They run often
- They do speedwork
- Very few of them have diets high in Cheestrings, Wispas or Night Nurse.
- None of them get into fights with 7 foot tall Scottish women with lisps.
So the purpose of this post is to say that you should welcome success wherever you see it in life and with enough determination, will and effort it will come your way too.
Even if it arrives in drops at first.
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by Matt the Angry Jogger
Matt lost 70lbs through running and has ran 13 half marathons and 4 full ones. He hates health freaks with a fucking passion and loves cheese and cider.
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