This is a statement I'm all too familiar with - one I’ve heard from athletes I coach and something I used to believe about myself.
Only about a year and a half ago, I remember thinking “I’m not built like a runner” so I’ll never be able to run a 1:35 half marathon. I was convinced that my body carried weight in a way that did not allow me to run fast. That I was stuck running the same speed all the time, regardless of the distance.
This is the same I hear from others. “I can’t possibly run faster. I’ve never been able to do it because my body isn’t built for it.”
What I always like to ask myself and others at this point is this:
What does it mean to be built like a runner?
What does a normal runner look like?
What does a fast runner look like?
And as you answer these questions, think about who determines the answers. So often we look to others, society, magazines, etc for answers to questions like these. But when we do, those sources provide a distorted view of what normal is and creates image imprints in our brain that impact our own thinking. Remember, a belief is simply something you think over and over again. So if external influences triggers you to think, “I don’t look like that, I’ll never run that fast” then your brain will go to work to prove that true.
If you had the power to answer the three questions above and define the answers for yourself, how would you answer?
The best part is, you do have that power! And when you choose to use that power to decide for yourself, you then shift the way you think about your own potential.
I did this exact thing about one year ago. I decided that “every body is built to run and anyone who choose to run has the ability to run fast.” I set out to run down that 1:35 half marathon. Practice makes practice and a few months later, I expanded beyond what I thought was possible originally and hit my goal of running a 1:35 half marathon!
It started with letting go of the limiting belief. It ended with blowing my own mind with what I could achieve.
A similar result came from an athlete of mine who dreamed of breaking the 5:30 mark in a half ironman. Practice makes practice. The work is not easy. But when she completed her half ironman in 5:27, she too felt what it was like to blow her own mind!
Goal. Set. Crush.
What type of runner do you want to be and what do you want to achieve? Decide for yourself then get to work going after it.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE A PERFORMANCE MINDSET?