Stop trying to be perfect, you don't have to get everything right all the time

As runners, we like to set big goals and work hard to achieve them. We want to create the perfect training plan, have the perfect build and follow the perfect diet so that we can have that “perfect race.” Today, we’re putting a stop to the madness. Runners, if you want to enjoy and have success in the sport, please — stop trying to be perfect.

The “do what you can” approach

American tennis legend Arthur Ashe once said “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Ashe may not have been a runner, but his advice is applicable to every sport. You may not have access to state-of-the-art facilities, be able to afford the latest-and-greatest super shoes or have the luxury of taking long naps after all of your long runs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still run well.

Take Olympic decathlon gold medallist, Damian Warner, for example. Thanks to COVID-19 lockdowns, he was unable to access all of his usual training facilities, so he ended up training for the entire year in a make-shift gym with half the equipment he was used to. Despite this, he still managed to set an Olympic record, win the gold medal, and become only the fourth person to ever break the 9,000 point barrier in the decathlon.

A lot of what happens during training and racing is out of your control. Maybe you got the flu part-way through your training cycle and had to take a week off. Perhaps you woke up on race day to crazy winds or pouring rain. When something unexpected happens that derails your training or ruins your shot at a PB, it’s easy to panic, get upset and throw in the towel, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Take Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel. She revealed after the race that in her build-up to the New York City Marathon, she had cracked three ribs. Instead of letting that ruin her race (or giving up entirely), she did however much running she could handle and ended up setting an American course record and placing fourth.

After the race, she said, “It doesn’t have to be perfect going into these things, but if you put your effort out there, if you pour everything you have into this, you’ll find a way.”

Relax and enjoy yourself

It’s important for runners to remember that the reason you put your shoes on every day is that you love the sport. If your drive to get a new personal best is preventing you from enjoying the process, then what’s the point? Instead, try to relax and have fun with it.

posted Thursday May 12th
by Running Magazine