Don’t compare yourself to other runners

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  • allother94
    allother94 Posts: 588 Member
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    You should ALWAYS compare yourself to other runners. Just make sure to only include those who are worse than you in your comparisons.
  • ianwhite5555
    ianwhite5555 Posts: 17 Member
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    kathrynhoward84 wrote: »
    I just focus on me. The only person I am competing with is me. (And I do, fearsomely - my weapon of choice is Strava, but I deliberately have ZERO other people linked on the account).
    I am at the stage in life where I can congratulate others on their successes but not feel it reflects on me. Maybe that’s just a base-psychology thing, IDK.
    My main sport is skiing. I am never going to get FIS points racing or get a level 4 Instructor qualification. Does that mean I feel bad when I watch races or friends pass level 3 or 4 modules? Hell, no. I’m a bit awed, but I’m happy for them. I have people on here who are marathoners, and I can be happy for their improvements. It doesn’t negate my wobbly 5k pr, or the fact that I tired to do a 10k and had to walk a bit of it. I still made massive gains.
    The only other person I might vaguely be competitive with is my husband. I would like to be close to his speed so we can run together. In reality, we get to a certain point and I say “just go, I’ll meet you at home”.

    TL;DR You just have to find a mindset where you do “you” and choose not to stress others’ performances

    I really relate to this, I used to ski FIS Europa Cup 25 years ago until I injured myself quite badly in a downhill race which took over a year to recover from. Never skied again and because my fitness was never the same and I couldn't stop comparing myself to how I was before (Super fit) I gave up.

    Nearing 50 have me a jolt to run again and I completely agree with Kathryn, competing against myself was the only way to go. 6 months ago I could only run /walk 1.5 miles in one go, but with the help of Map My Run (with zero people linked) i'm now doing 5k every day. I used to try and beat my PB every time I went out. It's not the best thing to do, so following a set plan helped take my focus off that to a balanced routine. THAT'S the accomplishment for me. Sticking to the routine and doing perhaps a PB free run every 10 days or so.

    So, be happy for everyone's targets (which times and distance is only relevant to them) and compete against yourself. When your run could of been better use it to motivate yourself next time and when you have a good run (no matter how small) congratulate yourself.

    Don't beat yourself up and well done for being out there getting fit.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    RunnerGirl238 wrote: »
    The beauty of the running community is that it is a community. Sign up for a race and you’ll see. The commraderie, kindness, love... it’s amazing.

    A runner is a runner is a runner. Comparison can be ok. It can push you to get uncomfortable and pull you through the hardest intervals. But we are all on our own journeys.

    This! And if you have goals that others in your running community are meeting and you're not, the more experienced runners are (in my experience) always willing to share tips and encourage you.
  • KNoceros
    KNoceros Posts: 324 Member
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    @ianwhite5555 that is an amazing achievement to have on your CV. Sorry to hear it ended in injury.
  • ianwhite5555
    ianwhite5555 Posts: 17 Member
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    kathrynhoward84 wrote: »
    @ianwhite5555 that is an amazing achievement to have on your CV. Sorry to hear it ended in injury.

    Thanks Kathryn, even though it ended with a horrendous tib fib break with so much metal work, looking back I was so blessed to even have the chance. Last week was Kitzbuhel and got all nostalgic. I hope you're enjoying schussing down the slopes.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
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    If I compared myself to other runners / triathletes I probably would have quit years ago. No two runners are the same (unless you're identical twins). People respond to training stimulus differently, that person who may be much faster than you may also be spending a lot more time training than you. It's a matter of working with what we've got and taking pride in how far we've come.

  • jrh_this_better_work
    jrh_this_better_work Posts: 92 Member
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    Before I was a runner, none of my friends were either. Now that I *am* a runner, many of my friends are as well, and they are ALL faster than me. I can't compare myself to my faster running friends any more than I can compare myself to my friends who don't run. I can only compare myself to myself.

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