I ran the same path today (3.64 miles) that I ran two days ago and once I got going, I knew I would do it and improve my time. And that is exactly what I did. I ran 3.64 miles in 36:04!! That is 9:50 mile pace!! Large improvement from the 10:30 mile pace from Sunday. So was I in that much of better shape today than I was two days ago?? HECK NO!! I improved my time by nearly 2 minutes because of mental mindset. I told myself that I will run in that time, so I did it. I did not place limits on myself. I feel fortunate to now, at 25, begin to learn that the ability to accomplish things is all what limits (or limits you don't place) you place on yourself. I believe there is no shame in shooting for a really high standard and coming up short. I believe that one will reach a higher standard by failing at high standards than having surpassing a low standard. Of course the standard needs to be feasible, but it must be set to a standard that is only going to get accomplished with fierce dedication. I'm a baseball coach, so let's use a high school baseball team as an example:
So let's say we have a high school baseball team called the WOLFPACK. Now, the Wolfpack has some quality players and can compete with all the teams in the state. Are most teams betting on them to win state? No, but other teams understand that they are a team to be reckoned with and won't take them lightly. So this team has ability and it really just comes down to how the execute each game. The team has two options when setting their overall big goal--Goal 1 can be: Win a state championship. Goal 2 can be: Be over .500. Well, I would ALWAYS choose the first option because that is going to maximize my players dedication to making this the best possible season. While decendants of this philosophy would say that I am setting my team up for failure, I would vehemently disagree. I am translating a message to my athletes that we have the ingredients to make this happen, it all comes down to our dedication and execution. The thing that must be communicated is that it is entirely possible to have overflowing dedication and execution, but fail at reaching our goal. Yet, this does not mean we are failures and it does not even mean that we weren't good enough, it merely means another team beat us on that day. However, it could also be an indication of a lack of dedication and execution. The failure in the case will make the team and I be more reflective--THUS, making the WOLFPACK a better team in the long run. On the other hand, we could set the goal of being over .500 with the same team and feel like we are a success because our team goes 14-12. This would make us less reflective and thus making our development for the future to be less effective. Beyond all that, if we take the .500 season as a huge success then we could be giving ourselves a false hope and really setting us up for failure down the line. An important factor in all of this is that the coach must communicate to the Wolfpack what failure/success means, and how do we respond to each of them. Many people win and think their work is over, many people fail and think they can't reach their goals. Communication between a coach and his athletes, or just a self-understanding of a personal goal must be understood that it is all mostly a learning experience to make us better individuals!! Okay, I hope all enjoyed that tangent!!
BODY IS HURTIN'
So my body is feeling a little beat up right now, at about halfway through my run today my the back of my left shin (I hope that makes sense) started THROBBING!! However, I didn't stop and pushed through. It is still very sore and I've been stretching it out all night. On a better note!! My heart did not hurt while running today!! Plus, I did not stop once during that 36 minute run!!
All right, time for bed or some more tv!! I gotta start getting more sleep too!! Okay, g'night!!
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