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Monday, November 12, 2012

Perspective

I tend to do most of my "deep" thinking while working out....whether it be walking, biking, running, whatever.  I have these meaningful and insightful thoughts while I'm out and about, and think, "Wow.  I should really blog about this."

Then I get home and completely forget what I wanted to say.

However, while Kimberly and I were exploring Riverview Park, we had a discussion about perspective.  Maybe actually talking to someone out loud about it made the topic stick in my head.  Who knows? 

Anyways.  You know how you go to the gym, and you check out the peeps around you?  Not just check them out how they look, but watch what they're doing?

Now I know I'm not the only one out there who is a people watcher.

I watch the meatheads grunting and lifting and slamming and throwing their weights around.  (Do they really have to slam them?  Every? Single? Time?)  The older ladies who stroll on the treadmills and chat away.  The crazies who sweat all over the stair steppers for hours at a time. 

You don't?  Oh.  Well, I do. 

My point is this.  I really need to stop comparing myself to them.  And I really have to stop thinking they're comparing me to them.  Confused?

Two weeks ago, when I was still allowed to do my walk/jog intervals, I wore my Tough Mudder shirt to the gym.  Now.....it is a bad ass shirt.  To earn one, you have to be pretty bad ass.  To wear it means you are a bad ass.

And there I am, on the treadmill, walking for two minutes, then jogging for two minutes, then walking for two minutes......

Not very bad ass.

I picture all the peeps around me thinking things like...
"Where the hell did she find that shirt, because you know she didn't run a Tough Mudder."
"She must be wearing her man's shirt."
"Look at her, she can't even run five minutes....she's not a Mudder."

While I'm thinking this, I get very self conscious.  So I have a pep talk with myself.
"Who cares what they think....they don't know your story.  They don't know you had your knee scoped less than two months ago.  They don't know that a week after your first Mudder (you know, the one where you fell from a cargo net and gave yourself whiplash...yeah, that one) you ran the Philly Half in less than 2:30.  That IS bad ass.  So fuck them.  They don't know YOU."

It helped to put things in perspective.

So remember this the next time you're out on the bike path and see someone walking while you're running.  Or when you're at the gym and notice someone doing crappy intervals while you're flying along.  You're not better than that person because they're not running....maybe they're injured.  Maybe the person doing intervals is just starting out at running, and you've been doing it for years.

Remember that we are all at different places in our lives.  We need to respect each other, no matter what stage we're at. 

2 comments:

  1. Absolutely AWESOME!

    I'm recovering from a couple nagging injuries (yet again) and am back to running short intervals and I have a similiar conversation everytime some speedy person just blows right past me!

    ~MaryAnn

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