Be patient with yourself. You aren’t expected to be the very best when you first start! So you can keep your eyes on the pros, open you heart to the athletes coming behind you, and show up for yourself right now.
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HEADS UP: LINKS FOUND ON THIS WEBSITE JUST MIGHT BE AFFILIATE LINKS. WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE? WELL, THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU CLICK ON SOMETHING AND MAKE A PURCHASE, I WILL EARN A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE TO YOU, AND YOU WILL HAVE AN AWESOME NEW THING. YAY FOR BOTH OF US!
YOU’RE AWESOME
Hey! Guess what?
Pause what you are doing and lean in because I have a secret for you.
Ready?
You already have what it takes.
Yes! You! Right now, as you are. You have absolutely everything you need.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
It doesn’t have to be cute.
It just has to be action, and you have to be patient with yourself.
There isn’t an “In club” in endurance sports.
I have been around, and lived in my kinda flabby mom bod, long enough to know that when you start lacing up the shoes and decide to get active, it feels like there are two types of people and you are kinda neither:
- The couch potato who is super proud of not doing anything (At least, that is what she says.)
- The ultra athlete
Maybe you decided two months ago when all of this insanity started that you were going to take a bit of time out daily to go for a walk, then it turned into a walk/ run.
You have started to feel the nudges towards maybe registering for a race when they come back. Or maybe you have even signed up for a virtual race.
Or heck, maybe you have been doing this for a long time and you still feel like you are on the outside, sometimes
(Haaay! Hi five, old friend imposter syndrome!!)
When you discover that moving is really lighting you up, you go looking for a community, right?
We do what we do in 2020. We pick up our phones, start banging in some hashtags or search terms. And BAM.
There they are. All the signs that we we just fooling ourselves.
The hastags are claimed by the fittest and prettiest.
The photos with the Garmin overlays are showing that absolutely everyone has a pace that’s faster, even when the caption is like, “Ooohh decided to take it easy today with a quick ten miles.”
Defeat. It’s right there.
ONLINE VS REAL LIFE
Can you trust me on something?
This is one of those cases where your online life just won’t match up with real life.
Look, I think that our connectedness can be so good! Can you imagine if we didn’t have the internet to connect with eachotehr right now? Ick.
But it can also be rough because the algorithm has a strange way of showing us all the things we aren’t sometimes, right?
But guess what! If you just spend enough time outside, you will see so many other people doing exactly what you are doing.
Moving their bodies. Being active with their families. Making better choices. Taking one step at a time. Looking for you to be out there to confirm for THEM that they aren’t alone. They’ve got the same instagram you do, friend.
Endurance Sports let us mix with the pros
Here is what is so cool about endurance sports that you cant find with something like baseball or basketball: we get to race with the pros.
What a gift!
When you show up for a major event, you know that when you first hear the starter gun or the cannon, the sponsored, full-time athletes have just crossed the line and it won’t be long until you are standing right where they just were.
And GIRL, if THAT isn’t a metaphor for your training life, I dont know what is!
YOU, right now, where you are, are where those people you look up to once were.
And it doesnt matter if you are weeks, months, years, an entire lifetime away from that. What matters is that you take where you are right now, do your best, and keep working. Be patient with yourself!
You local church baseball league doesn’t get together and swing the bat with the Yankees. That is why you don’t hear those guys saying, “I was gonna go to practice today, but Jeeter is better than me, so what is even the point? Pass the snickers.”
(Does Jeeter play for the Yankess? I think that’s true. I don’t team sport, clearly)
NO! That’s nutty!
So why on God’s green earth are you allowing those types of feelings to sink in with respect to your training?
YOU ARE AN EXAMPLE, SO BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF
Remember those other moms I said were out there looking to see you as an example of how to show up & be patient with yourself? They want to follow you over the starting line.
You have what it takes right now.
So whether your weekend plans involve ten hours in the saddle or a ride around the block. Whether you are my gal running a 50k for fun with a friend or Saturday is THE day that you make it to that next lamp post without stopping,
YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.
And if you will commit and be patient with yourself, you have no idea who will learn that she also has what it takes just from watching you.
So here is what I need from you this weekend:
I need you to show up, powerfully, exactly as you are.
I need to roll those shoulders down and back. Not only because it makes to feel powerful with that opened up chest, but also because it’s better form for whatever you are doing. (See how that works? It’s good for you personally and good for your sport? Man I love these bodies we have!)
I need you to agree to be patient with yourself. No matter how slow you feel your progress is. No matter what the setbacks, that you know that if you keep showing up as the example of perseverance that you are, you will improve.
And I need to you hold space for yourself to be in inspiration to anyone who is behind your in the corrals to come.
How will you make sure this is a kinder, more affirming world to live in as female endurance athletes.
Then I need you to go out there this weekend and do the dang thing.
OK?
As you do your whole, authentic thing this weekend, snap a totally normal, not-edited-for-a-magazine picture of yourself and tag me in it on Instagram @FindingFinishLines. Let’s be the realest bunch of bad ass Mommas out there. I can’t wait to see you!
Until next time, carry on women of valor.
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