Today in the gym, after a brutal circuit training strength workout, I was sitting there recovering trying my best to fight all the thoughts I was having of skipping my run. I was very, very close to skipping my run, and I wanted to share with you the mental bargaining that I went through. It felt like a revelation.
I realized as I was sitting there, that my idea of going for a run was very narrow. Somehow, it has been ingrained in my mind that a "run" for me is at least 30 minutes, because running for any less amount of time felt like nothing and just didn't seem like it was worth it. There was just no way I could mentally go out for a 30 minute run after the circuit train that I just went through.
Then the obvious hit me, and I began bargaining with myself. "Am I willing to go out and run to Patterson and back?" (This is less than a mile). "How about to LaHarpe and back?" (This would be a little over a mile). You get the idea. I tried to arrive at the most I was willing to do.
I ended up running a small loop back to the gym that took 17 minutes.
If I could revisit all of the times I didn't run because I didn't want to go the full distance or time, and inserted 10-20 minute runs in there instead of nothing, I wonder how much better a runner I would be? I wonder if I'd be getting something from these runs that are "nothing".
Look for me to employ this philosophy in more areas than just running from now on.
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