Part coach, part therapist

I had my bi-weekly call with Coach Bennett this morning and as he listened to me recount my runs of the past two weeks he made the observation that he sensed that I have a “strong inner critic” He felt I wasn’t giving myself enough credit for the level of running I’d been doing, especially in heat and humidity….in so many words, I need to give myself a break.

I am definitely a perfectionist and can be fairly tough on myself – it was interesting to me that it was coming through so clearly to Bennett over the phone line. As we talked about the upcoming weeks in the training plan, it occurred to me that his role as coach will be as much about getting my head in the right place and building confidence as it is in helping me hit the right paces.

Many of us can be our own worst critic so the question is, how do you quiet that critic when it comes to your running?

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Comments

  1. I coach runners and deal with this a lot. Know you’re not alone and that we all are our toughest critic. It’s hard to see growth sometimes unless we actually sit down to look back at the progress we’ve made in a large chunk of time. Keep positive girl and all that hard work you’re doing, especially in this heat, will pay off like crazy when you toe the line for your goal race!

  2. I don’t have a coach, but I definitely give myself a hard time if I’m not running enough or walk a little on a training run. But just being out there and doing it is much better than nothing, and it’s making me stronger for the next one!

  3. Wow, good question. I have a huge inner critic. But, not for running. Mostly for parenting and relationship issues. As far as running goes, I have a good time and do my own thing and am super comfortable with that approach.

  4. Nice that you can bounce all this off your coach! I think we all do that at some point. I try to reframe it into what I have accomplished and what I can do. works sometimes!

  5. Fitness is so mental! We can build ourselves up or be a horrible critic! I try to look at the week’s success and use that to fuel more positive thoughts!

  6. You have been rocking the running in the heat!!! I am so my worst critic! I try to look back at where I started and am coming from. That way I can see the hard work I have done! You’re doing awesome Michelle!!!

  7. I think we have high expectations of ourselves as runners and we want to perform well. When we don’t, we just get really frustrated and can be hard on ourselves. I think it’s human nature. I’m glad your coach is there to help you off the ledge 🙂 … coaches have so much experience in this so I know he can help you feel better!! Stay strong and positive thoughts will follow!!

  8. Being your worst critic is natural, I think. Surround yourself with people who motivate you and wil be honest with you about your performance and be supportive of your goals. I think these people help give a fresh perspective.

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