Not finally doing what we had proposed in our training plan sounds like something quite similar to not following our study plan before an exam, our healthy diet that we had finally started, or our organization so as not to leave pending work for the end of week. The runner who enjoys training learns to be firm with his training plans, and at the same time flexible and creative with the unforeseen events that change these plans.
If i go on a trip and i have to run: I run in the city i’m going to and that’s how i go sightseeing. If i have a lot of work this week: instead of running 3 days i run 2, and try to slightly increase the distance or pace on those days. If i realize that i haven’t run for ten days, i analyze what is happening and what to do to return to training, knowing that the return that week has to be progressive. It is better to run for a day or two than to run for 3 and quit again. If it rains, i run on a treadmill. If i can’t go out in the afternoon, i leave early. If i feel like going on a plan with friends that just came up when i was going to go running, i go with them and run when i get back, or i run tomorrow.
It seems that some runners are clear about their objectives, and do not look for excuses to escape from them or abandon them. This is a necessary process in the life of any person to take care of their self-esteem: valuing themselves for the effort during the process of pursuing goals, and not only for their results.
It is also a very necessary process to take care of self-efficacy: to feel effective in achieving the goals you set for yourself and to plan the objectives with a progression that fuels motivation and not continuous frustration. Here are two of the great psychological benefits of running: experiencing the management of self-esteem and self-efficacy in relation to our goals.
We become overwhelmed with the sensations produced by going out for a run. This process is especially important for people who are very sensitive to anxiety symptoms; and overcome it, one of the great psychological benefits of running for them. There is a phrase that is often heard in relation to running: go out to run, go out to suffer. Tolerating frustration, adjusting expectations, not giving up before a certain time and adequate analysis are essential so that small disappointments do not impulsively distance us from big goals. Wait, reflect, discover what you could change, and then assess whether it is worth continuing or abandoning your goal.
