Excuse me while I go MK on you- “willpower” is a false construct. It doesn’t exist, it’s total bs. You’re strong AF, I know exactly how much strength is required to get through your day- and I’m in awe of your ability to do it. You aren’t here because you lack willpower, needing support does NOT make you needy.
The truth is: running ISN’T simple. It’s not one habit you just need MENTAL STRENGTH or WILLPOWER for so since you don’t have the habit then YOU NEED MOARR WILLPOWER AND MENTAL STRENGTH AND LESS LAZY! That’s terrible logic. It’s downright abusive. It’s baked into our culture, and it’s so common you may not ever notice it...but it is NOT okay.
Running is low-hanging fruit for many humans. You don’t need expensive equipment, a membership, a per-session fee, or really the expertise of a 1:1 coach to get started. Most of us DO need validation, reinforcement, and a safe, accessible space to ask questions and receive answers to keep going. Even then, you have to support the running habit with several other little habits, or maybe even a checklist, until the habit becomes instinct. I’m putting my checklist on the website for you to download; it’s taped next to my bed so I don’t forget before I crash at night.
Let that sink in: I’ve been doing this since I was 6 years old. After 6 weeks off, it FEELS like starting over. I have to go to bed early, no sugar at night because it makes it hard to get out of bed the next morning, I have to lay out my clothes, charge my watch, make sure my strap hat glasses and stryd are near the door where the kids can’t see them AND sneak out before they wake up or else I get snuggle-bombed. They never love me more than right before I go out the door!
The more complicated the habit, the less likely it is to stick.
So, if this running thing still feels like you are struggling for it- rest assured, you are NOT alone. You’re not failing or malfunctioning in any way.
What we ARE doing is creating a pattern, as simple as possible, because predicability breeds those little habits that lead to success. Knowing ahead of time that Thursday and Sunday are your off days makes planning a breeze. We aren’t re-inventing the wheel each month.
We ARE laying the groundwork for a lifelong habit, and habits are formed from consistency and ritual. The main variation from month to month are the hard effort workouts. Do not assign these workouts more importance than they deserve, STRENGTH IS KEY FOR EVERYONE. It is the single most important thing you can do each day.
Remember: We don’t need perfect, we need done. We need to be okay with the workouts we DON’T do; shame adds up and weighs you down. Your next race will be about whether you stayed in the game, not about how hard you went on the workouts you did, not about executing every workout perfectly. If you’re having fun with your family and miss a run or two, THAT’S OKAY! Why would you miss out on a day like this?? Stay with them. And stay here with us. Turn the page each day and hit the reset button each month and DO NOT GIVE UP
Coach MK
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