Thursday, October 20, 2011

Words.

Powerful little buggers, aren't they?  It's funny how quickly they can fly from our mouths, without much thought some days.  
We talk.  
A lot.  
We say a lot of things.  
The result, however, of those words can be monumental, they can build hope, joy, and happiness, yet they can also wreak havoc.


We all know that it's important to be careful with the words we use when speaking to others.  I think the average Joe will acknowledge that he knows how much of an impact words can have when we say them to our children, friends, spouses.   
But how about the words we say to ourselves?  
What value do they have?  
Are they important?  
What's the conversation like in your head?
I argue that the way in which we talk to ourselves is paramount to the conversation we have with others.  Really.  If our internal dialogue is ugly, than our own output can be ugly, in turn, what we expect from others is less than it should be.  In order to put out positivity, we must generate our own, first.
 


Positive self talk is, therefore, something critical to utilize when you're training.  Take a moment...evaluate how you've been talking to yourself.

Are you being your own cheerleader?  Or are you ripping yourself apart constantly?  Because, when you think about it, at our most vital moments, we find ourselves alone.  Mommy's not there to pat your back and say "I'm so proud" at mile 20 (okay, mine was at my marathon...but not during training runs!).  Your spouse won't hold your hand during that half-marathon and cheer "you can do it!"  for 13 miles.  
When your lungs burn during intervals, the only one to pull you through to the other side of particularly challenging events is Y O U.

Go, grab your pom poms and cheer for yourself.  Practice positive self talk.  I know it's not easy.  I'm the biggest offender when it comes to dogging myself.  I admit, I need to work on it.

 Take a few minutes and tell yourself what you did this week that was pretty freaking awesome.
 
Me?  I made it back to a 20 mile week!  I did lots of speed work, and felt the result today.  Isla has been super crabby and not sleeping well (thanks freaking 2 year old molars) for a few weeks, but despite her complaining, I packed her up, loaded her into the car, and made it to the gym 4 days this week (so far!).  Now, I imagine that I will probably miss out on the long run this weekend, again.  Given that I'm so tired.  And it'll be rough not to beat myself up over it.  But it's my goal for this weekend.  Stay positive and focused on The Run. 


Besides....