Twelve months ago I decided my running days are behind me.
I wasn’t injured. I didn’t have a bad experience. The time had simply lapsed since I’d been for a run and the meaning I created was that “those days are behind me” and that “my body won’t run anymore”.
Prior to that I was not a running athlete. Running was something I added into the mix every other week. I did love it when I was running, but like most things you love, sometimes you just don’t experience it often and bit by bit you forget about it.
It wasn’t until I caught up with a friend I hadn’t seen for ages that the seed was planted. My friend, having never run before, and who was also older than me, had taken up running and preparing for a marathon.
I felt the friction in my body straight away. The whisper that said, “maybe I could have another go”.
And so I did. Starting with a short burst to see if I could.
Now, 12 months on, I’m back in the rhythm of running 3x times per week. While the running itself is hard and uncomfortable, it’s what happens afterwards that keeps be going back.
I’m energized, clear headed and I feel lively to start the day.
This alone is a game change for my productivity and mindset. And now that it is a part of my routine and I can see the immediate impact it has on my results in work and life, I think:
What else do I believe I am ‘too old’ for or ‘the ship has sailed’?
And what is it costing me not challenging that belief?
Think about 1 or 2 things that you have put on ice and ask yourself, what does it look like to have another go here? You can always go back and stop if you don’t like it, or it doesn’t align.
Or, alternatively you can awaken something more significant:
1. The belief in yourself that you have no obligation to honor who you were yesterday and
2. The opportunity to prove to yourself that the only thing holding you back from running, or running to become your best future self is YOU.
