Give up the giving up
Published by marie on 9/29/09 at 2:19 PMI give up pretty easily.
Heck! A LOT of people do (if I’m going down on this sinking ship, I’m taking all of you with me!!!).
We make excuses as to why we can’t do things, talk ourselves out of simple tasks out of laziness or fear, and choose the easiest route to what we think will make us happy.
I did just that in my half marathon on Sunday. I was humming along, running in front of the 2:15 pace bunny and completely on track for a good race. I was feeling great despite the humid, damp air and lack of sunshine. But then I got to 13km (the turn around back to the finish) and thought, “I’ve made it this far and have done well, I can just run at whatever pace I want to now and just complete the race.”
The pace bunny and his gaggle of followers then moved in front of me and slowly became a dot in the distance.
But why? There was nothing wrong with me. No stitch in my side, no soreness in my knees, no difficulty breathing – I just lost my focus. Odd considering the finish line was getting closer and closer with every step.
But it translates into every aspect of my life. I think that I’ve not only lost focus on the finish line, but the end point to all of my goals. I’m so distracted and down on myself that I am giving up on things that I know I can do and that I can do well. From the half-ass posting here, the never ending “last suppers” before getting back on track with WW or quitting a run 2km before a finish.
Sure, circumstances in my life have me at a really low point right now, but NOT dwelling on them or letting them control my life is the only way to crawl out of the hole. Quitting on goals and myself will only keep me right where I am. There’s no point in climbing half way up a mountain, is there? There’s no glory in that.
I have a lot of positive things in my life and there are a lot of high points, I’m just choosing to focus on the negative for some odd reason. Misery loves company, right?
But you don’t have to hit rock bottom before you can climb back up to the top. Realizing WHY you do things instead of focusing on the things that can hold you back will help correct behaviours, resolve problems and move you forward.
Now, if I had spent the 2:23 that I spent running on Sunday thinking about THAT instead of all of the negative self-talk (and day-dreaming about brunch), I’d be much further ahead today, now wouldn’t I?
11 Comments:
You're smart and lovely and things will work out. Really.
<3
Keep positive.
Hang in there!
The next time you feel like giving up, let me know, I will fly out there and kick your cute little butt!!! *smooches*
Funny thing is, you just wrote about running a 1/2 marathon. A HALF marathon! Just like that. Not everyone can accomplish something that huge. I'm struggling with training for a little 5K.
So congratulations on your time. Could you have pushed yourself harder? Maybe. But you crossed that finish line, and that's what counts. You'll cross the finish line on many other endeavours too.;-)
I ran a 10k on Saturday and I guarantee you I wasn't day dreaming about brunch. I was wondering how the hell I ever thought running for over an hour was a good idea.
You've accomplished so much and you have it in you to do so much more. You're human, not perfect.
CONGRATULATIONS on the 1/2! I hope you celebrated at least a little bit!
It's just as if I realized I've been there, done that and already had two tshirts to prove it. Why do I bother to pay an entry fee if I'm just going to make it a Sunday run?
I appreciate that I did what a lot of people can't do or aspire to do, but *I* know that it was NOWHERE near my best, and it could have been closer IF I TRIED.
@eurydice I think that a lack of motivation is my problem for sure. I need to find some runspiration.
I wonder if you decide to do a run for a specific cause or purpose (person) (other than the event cause) that can give you something else to help you push yourself to the level that you know you are capable of doing.
You know that you are worth the push to the finish!
I think everyone has times where motivation fails; you are the last person I ever think of as "giving up!"
As it has been said, run the race in 3 parts:
1st: with your head
2nd: with your legs
3rd: with your heart
Why is the heart the hardest part?