Smash your Comfort Zone – learn to back yourself!
On Saturday 19th March 2016 I completed the Larne Half Marathon, my first run at this distance, in 1:50:28. I intend being faster next time.
Others who I normally compete with in shorter distance races finished about 5 minutes ahead of me. The reason? They backed themselves more than I did. They had the confidence to run the race at a faster pace.
Nonetheless, I am fitter and leaner than I’ve been for years, and my jeans are almost 32” waist again. All good. I’ve also been getting lots of comments about how fit and slim I’m looking (and whilst I am aware that this fits nicely into the back-handed compliment category, I don’t really mind).
I’ve been running for about 4 years although 10k has been my longest race, so I set aside 11 weeks to train for the half-marathon, sometimes up to 6 times per week. During those weeks I found myself focusing on small improvements in my running technique and how they resulted in better performance. I pushed myself harder than I would have done before, running further and faster. I have changed my diet, a little, and am now inclined to eat more fresh fruit and veg, unprocessed meats and generally ‘good’ stuff. Not all the time though.
During the period I also had a few niggling injuries, sorted by rest or a visit to the Physiotherapist.
Even though I considered myself reasonably well prepared, in the lead up to the race I found it challenging to forecast what pace to run at, not wanting to ‘hit the wall’. I listened to a significant amount of advice from experienced runners who all recommended easing into the run, valuable advice which I took on the day.
In the event I think I eased into it too much! Looking at the times of others who I would regularly compete with, I think I paced myself a little on the slow side. Lesson learned for the next time…
Stepping outside our comfort zone outside work can help us all learn valuable lessons inside the work environment. It helps us know what achievement feels like, the rewards that come with hard work, how focusing on what’s important improves performance, and that listening to the advice of experienced experts is key. However, it is also important to reflect on your own capability and to back yourself to achieve the best outcome.
Photo courtesy of Ryan @NIRunning
