Thoughts from Long Distance Running · Steps To Voice Over Success

Thoughts from Long Distance Running

Today I have been reflecting on 20 years of long distance running and the lessons that I have learned over those years. I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

1. You can achieve more than you think you can.

I think we often let our own self-doubts limit what we can achieve. I know that this is something that I have been guilty of. But when we start working towards our goals we often find that we can achieve more than we ever thought possible.

There is a quote by Marianne Williamson about our deepest fears https://www.appleseeds.org/Deepest-Fear.htm

2. Don’t compare yourself to others.

When I started running I kept looking at other runners and thinking “If only I was as good as them”, etc. The problem with this is that it can make you feel inadequate. Other runners told me that my only true comparison was myself. I was advised to compare my race times to my previous race times.

So I started comparing myself to myself and I found that it really did make a difference to my running. I still notice other runners and I am happy for them. I just take more satisfaction from my own improvements.

Be happy for others. But focus and celebrate your own improvements because those are the only ones that count.

3. It’s ok to make mistakes.

Things will go wrong. You will make mistakes. There is nothing wrong with this. I think it’s only wrong if you beat yourself up over the mistakes. I think the best approach is to treat all failings as learning opportunities. After all FAIL is an acronym - First Attempts In Learning.

Learn from your mistakes and then leave them behind.

4. Don’t worry about being perfect.

I think we can get hung up on doing things perfectly. The best piece of advice that I was given was “Don’t worry about perfection, you won’t achieve it”. And it makes sense because once you have achieved your “perfection” you will realise that you could probably do better.

Just accept that you will improve over time.

5. Focus on the present.

When you run a long distance it’s easy and normal to think about the total distance that you are going to run. There is no point in thinking about 26.2 miles when you are on mile 1. Overthinking about the total distance will just destroy you.

Instead set yourself smaller targets that will help you achieve your goal. In the end you will achieve your goal.

6. Have a reason to do what you are doing.

There are going to be times when it’s hard to keep going. There have been a lot of training runs where I have been tired, the weather has been awful, I just haven’t felt up to it, etc. I found that having a reason to do the training really helped. And it’s good to have it written down so that you can look at it during these times.

Good reasons will keep you going during the hard times.

I think that these six points can be applied to most areas in life. I would be interested in your thoughts regarding them.

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