The 93rd Edition

If you let it, the way your training is going will shape the way you feel about yourself

Something to Think About

If your self worth rises and falls with your training, you’ve handed your identity over to something inherently inconsistent.

Something to Ask Yourself

Who are you when your training isn’t going well, and who are you when it is?

Personal Lesson

I used to tie how I felt about myself directly to how my training was going. If I was consistent and things were going well, I was happy with myself as a whole. But when things weren’t going completely perfectly, I’d start to have more negative views toward myself.

I thought this was pretty normal at the time. Running and training is important to me, so of course I should feel good when I’m doing well, and bad when I’m not… But soon enough, I started to realise my sense of self was constantly shifting.

And it depended on variables that are, by nature, unpredictable.

The other day, I caught myself again. Training is going well at the moment, and I felt good about myself because of it. Then it sort of hit me, this is the same pattern, just dressed slightly differently. Feeling bad when things go wrong is one thing, but feeling better about who you are just because things are going well, or according to plan… it’s just the same.

Running – Life’s Metaphor

Running is unpredictable. If your identity or self worth is tied to it, you’ll feel those natural training fluctuations deeply.

But if you can separate who you are from how your training is going, running becomes what it should be: a part of your life, not the thing that defines your value.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing wrong with caring about your training. In fact, you should care. You should take pride in showing up and pushing yourself. How mad would it be for me to tell you that’s a bad thing!?

But there’s a difference between caring about your training and letting it dictate how you see yourself.

Do it long enough and your training will always eb and flow. You’ll have weeks where everything clicks and you feel great, and weeks where everything feels hard.

You’ll feel strong, then flat some days. Motivated on Monday, then tired on Wednesday.

So, if your self worth is tied to something so variable, you’re setting yourself up for a constant emotional rollercoaster.

What actually matters is the person behind the training. The one who shows up when it’s hard. The one who keeps going when things aren’t perfect. The one who gives themselves grace and rest when it’s necessary.

The one who trains because they enjoy the process and what it gives them, not to prove their worth. That person doesn’t suddenly become more valuable because a session went well.

So train hard, lean in and care about your progress. But please don’t confuse your performance with your identity.

You are not your last run, or your current fitness, and you’re certainly not the training block you’re in.

You’re the one doing the running, not the running itself.

RUN THE RUNNABLE 😉