Comparison

Marathon Training Month 1 and Thoughts on Comparison

Do you ever put things off when you have TOO much time on your hands? Well, I am currently guilty of that. I live in Okinawa, Japan, and we are under serious restrictions because of Covid cases on island. This means that I have had PLENTY OF TIME to write, and once again, I have procrastinated in creating this weeks blog; I am now scrambling to get something published within my Monday Morning time constraints. I have zero interest in writing about Covid, restrictions, or masks, so I figured that since I just completed month one of my marathon training, I could share an update. There are a few mindset tips in here, so non-runner friends, stick with me.

I will be completely honest with you. Month one has been one of the biggest challenges of my runner-life. I have struggled, struggled, struggled, but I have not given up. I have not missed a training run; I continue to show up, and it has not been easy. I keep blaming the heat, humidity, and hills. While each of the 3 is challenging, and the humidity is stifling, the real struggle has been comparison. Do you know the saying, “Comparison is the Thief of Joy?” Well, it is true. I have been a runner for almost 2 decades now, so I have a lot of memoires of the old-me to use as comparisons. The old-me has had amazing runner friends who have motivated me during tough times. The-old me has lived in amazing places with cooler temps (even in the summer). The old-me has had amazing trails where the runs have been unbelievable. The old-me has been physically stronger and much faster. The fact that the current-me continues to compare herself to the old-me is the REAL REASON why I am struggling.

As I continue through the training, I need to embrace where I AM CURRENTLY – from both a physical and spiritual (mental) perspective, because I am in the most beautiful place I have ever lived from a physical perspective, and I continue to get stronger and stronger from a spiritual perspective. Even if I am slower than I was in my twenties and thirties, I am a much stronger person now; I truly embrace being in my forties. The sooner that I EMBRACE where I am and am able to REALLY live in the moment, the sooner I will replace comparison with gratitude, and my sincere joy for running will return. When the JOY returns the STRUGGLE will subside.

As for now, I am unable to run in my community because of our restrictions, so I will go back and look at pictures from month one, and I will work to embrace the beauty of the island and the strength that continues to build within me. Once I get to hit the road again, I will embrace each run as its own, and I will work to cease the comparison to the old-runs.

If you are out there struggling on whatever it is that you are facing, start with gratitude, and then embrace the beautiful moments in time that you are living in because as we do that, we will find the strength we need to push through our challenging times. I promise it works. Give it a shot.

Here are some pictures from month 1.