I realized something as I drank my preparatory coffee this morning. One of my biggest stresses about running is this: How will I ever measure up to the runner in my head?
My inner runner always does the training as scheduled. She's lighter and has tighter butt cheeks. 'Can't' does not exist in her vocabulary. She's more naturally talented and has the potential to be a competitive runner. When I say competitive, I refer to placing in my age group or even winning my age group. In 40 years, look out 80-85 group! She's even taller than me, 5'6" to be exact.
Not entirely sure I'll ever be taller. At forty, i realize it's a long shot. But the rest? I could be naturally talented and may even have a competitive runner deep inside.
But seriously, here's what I'm getting at. No matter how much I improve in the real world, I'm comparing myself to that inner perfect runner and not measuring up. I'm not the only one.
I'm always trying to recruit new running buddies. If I like someone, I ask them for a run. Often I hear the same responses. "Oh, I can't run." or "I couldn't keep up". Now, if you've been reading along with me, you know that I am not naturally talented. I'm athletic but even my best running times are middle of the pack. I think we all race against the ideal runner in our head.
I know I'm afraid of not measuring up. But here's yet another super fabulous thing about running. When I do go out and run, I'm never the fastest but for a few minutes on magical days, I swear I'm taller.
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