16 August 2020
Well, chances are, you probably aren’t.
Ouch.
But, what is “good enough”? Who
and/or what are you comparing yourself to? And why?
In a world that has become so
fast-paced and competitive, those two words can make or break someone. And we
aren’t immune to them, as much as we’d like to think we are. At least, that’s
how I feel.
Despite being relatively outgoing
and reasonably fit, I have always preferred to run, walk, hike and cycle by
myself, or with people I know are at - or slightly below - my fitness level.
Joining up with strangers, or people I know are fitter than me would result in
a vicious What If cycle, and I would psyche myself out. And miss out.
What if… I’m too slow?
What if… I hold the group back?
What if… I fail?
What if… I’m not good enough?
What if, what if, what if.
And before I knew it, I would
decline invitations to get out and spend time with like-minded people, all
because I was comparing myself to them.
But, what if I look at things
differently? What if I stop comparing myself to them? What if I realize that it
is all relative: how can I compare myself – someone who has been running for a
couple of years – to someone who has been running for 5/10/20 years? That’s
absurd.
What if I change my mindset and
rather ask:
What if… I can keep up.
What if… I do need to walk and stay
at the back of the group? At least I can take in the view.
(So) what if… I can’t finish the
route and have to turn around early? At least I showed up and tried!
What if… I accept that everything is
relative and no good will come from comparing my Chapter 1 to someone else’s
Chapter 12?
Now there’s a thought.
And the above is exactly what I did when I stepped out of my comfort zone on a
gloomy, cold, rainy Saturday morning in August to join 4 fellow crazy people on
a run of the Stellenbosch Mountains. Complete strangers, I came across the 14km
“medium pace” trail run they were doing thanks to a Facebook group.
I haven’t done much trail running
lately, and the little road running I have done has been short: 5km maximum. So
I knew this would be a push. But, I also knew that having others around me
would help spur me on. And as this was a social run, there was relatively little
pressure. Though, a doubtful “what if” did sneak in initially.
It was a great morning to be out and
about. The group was friendly and chatty, and within the first 200m it was
clear they are a lot more fit than me! I stayed at the back. I walked up the
hills. I was slow on the flats. And I huffed and puffed my way along. But the organizer
of the day’s outing stayed with me, and not once did any of them look at me as
if to say “come on, Slow Poke! You’re holding us up!”
No, it was smiles and “well done!”
at the top of each climb. That being said, their “medium pace” was my fast
pace, one I have only been able to sustain on short, flat runs. So by the 7km
mark, when they turned to go up yet another hill, I tapped out.
I could feel I wasn’t performing
well, and I still had another 6km or so to go to get back to my car. Rather
than hit The Wall, I decided to swallow my pride, and head back by myself while
the rest continued. But, I’m kind of proud that I could do that: rather listen
to your body than push on recklessly and potentially do harm.
A good way to get better at
something is take part with people who are stronger and better than you. Have I
been put off joining this group? No. Now I know where I stand, and I can only
improve!
What are some of your What If’s when
getting out of your comfort zone and/or trying something new?
