BE CONTENT WITH YOURSELF

By Jack Gray

One of the greatest blessings that come from running is simply feeling good about yourself. Few things in life will give you a greater feeling of self worth. It has an amazing ability to impart human dignity the knowledge that you have faced seemingly impossible odds and have overcome. Yet this marvelous feeling depends mostly on you. It is dependent on your being able to accept yourself just as you are; and finding joy and contentment in that image. Have you found that yet? Have you made peace with the following?

1. Your Form. Three announcers on National television were giving a critique of the running style of world-class runners as they participated in track events. There were surprisingly sharp in their criticism. The runners did not come off the blocks right. They didn’t get their head up fast enough. They didn’t swing their arms right, etc., etc. Then it turned out that two of the runners who had been specifically criticized for their running form had set world records that day. Just think, the best in the world; but someone on the sidelines has the audacity to suggest that they are not running right!

The same thing is mirrored in our local events. Have you watched carefully as some of our best runners are going by? They each have their own particular running style. It may not appear graceful to you at all; but you dare not make fun of them because you already know that you can’t catch them. So don’t be all that concerned with HOW you run. Just run. Do the best you can with what you’ve got; and let others wonder how you do it.

2. Your Pace. Search for what fits you best. Experiment with your conclusions. Is it better for you to start fast until you can run in the clear? Are you more comfortable with a slower start that picks up in the second mile? Are you zapped by halfway or can you run a negative split in the second half? Naturally the ideal is to run the fastest you can maintain for the distance of the race; but only you can decide what is best for you. So run your own race. Be careful that neither your excitement nor other runners draw you out too soon. Neither can this be fully worked out on paper in advance. Instead, monitor carefully how you are feeling. Sometimes backing off a little when you begin to struggle will help tremendously farther along. The idea is to do what you are able to do; and then to be satisfied with that pace. If you will remain as relaxed and comfortable as possible you will catch many of those who went on ahead earlier. Discouragement is still your greatest enemy; and becoming dissatisfied with yourself can be an invitation to disaster. Just avoid setting your goals too high; and it will help toward your running with contentment.

3. Your Weight. Your weight is a very personal thin. What is an ideal for someone else may not even be close to what is ideal for you. There are many factors involved. Some of these you control and some you do not. That means you can’t pick out another runner and be sure that you would be much faster if you looked like them. In fact, once you begin to eat right and exercise properly, you will almost certainly discover your ideal weight. That is simply the weight where you feel the best and run the fastest. Once you make that discovery, you should stay as close to that weight as possible. It doesn’t matter whether this matches some ideal image or not. Be content with the thought that it is ideal for you.

Fast runners come in all shapes and sizes. For example, some of us sat in the bleachers and watched women preparing to run the 800 meters in a national event. We tried to guess who would be the winner as they did their warm-ups and got ready for the race. Would you believe that the one that I picked for the winner came in dead last??? She had long legs and a slender frame. She looked like she could run like a greyhound; but she was still beat out by those who were shorter and heavier. Even by one or two who in my faulty judgment, hardly looked like runners at all. You will find the same thing locally if you go out a mile from the finish line and watch the runners come by. You will hardly believe the shapes and sizes of some of the front-runners in comparison to those who are far behind. It just goes to show that the size of your heart is far more important than the shape of your body when it come to running fast.

. 4. Your Results. Determine to do your best; but also to be content with you best on any given day. Avoid unrealistic expectations. Set reachable goals. Then when the race is over, be content. Measure results in the light of circumstances, as they actually exist on this day, on this course, and feeling as you do right now. Just be happy that you can run. There is so much to be thrilled with on your worst days. If you learn to be content with bad days, without berating yourself, then your good days will be thrilling indeed!