Getting out of your comfort zone

It’s hard being the s**t runner. Not least because you end up so soul-destroyingly far behind, that you start to tell yourself you’re s**t.

You knew running in this group would stretch your comfort zone, you didn’t realise you’d end up leaving it at home completely. You play catch-up for the entire run, forcing yourself to an uncomfortable pace in an attempt to not lose sight of the group, which you do anyway. Guessing the route as you struggle on, you rejoice at catching sight of a resting group, only to get within metres of them before they continue to run!

No rest for the wicked…or the s**t…

There’s that voice again. Feeding your mind unhealthy thoughts and making your heart and legs feel heavy. It’s tough being at the back, dead last. It’s lonely – it’s you against everyone else and they’re all far better, you began this run as a loser and that’s how you’ll remain. Would they even notice if you keeled over and got devoured by rats? Punishment for being s**t.

Except that you’re not.

No matter your ability, your speed or experience, anyone who decides to join a run with people much faster than them is a bit of a hero in my eyes. Yes, you may be the slowest in the pack but you’re working much harder than anyone else in that group. Running at a pace far out of your comfort zone is really brave, it takes guts and it’s only going to make you a better runner!

Stick with the hard sessions and you’ll soon close that gap. But stick with that defeatist attitude and you’ll probably never come back. Running requires far more mental power than it first appears. Your mind is the thing operating your machine. If you tell it you can’t do something, it will stop working. A stronger mind means stronger legs.

So when the going gets tough, be a hero, be brave, be improving, be on your way to greatness, just don’t be s**t.