When it comes to areas in my life where I don’t naturally excel, I struggle with huge limiting beliefs.
Now- I am not an athlete, nor was I ever growing up. I felt like I was always ‘the fat kid’ and physical exertion was one of ‘those things’ that wasn’t natural for me.
However throughout the past 10 years, health and wellness has been a big part of my life. It started off as part of my career and then I unconsciously started making healthy changes within myself to align with my career. I started to really enjoy the feeling of being physically strong, flexible and healthy.
Two years ago I decided to take up running. Looked easy enough- you just put one foot in front of the other, and go at a faster pace than a walk. Right?
WRONG! It was SO hard- my heart and lungs could not take it! I didn’t get it! How could other runners go miles and miles without dropping dead? They even looked so graceful as they were running. Seriously- I would run half a mile & be gasping for air so hard that I would end up sucking bugs in! So NOT the way to get extra protein people!
So I gave up. I just didn’t feel like pushing through the pain and physical discomfort that came along with running.
Oh Running… how I hate thee!
But it was still calling me…..
About 4 months ago I decided to give it another try. I’m healthier, stronger than I’ve been in quite a while so what the heck!? I made it my goal to eventually run 5 Kilometres.
Well, let me tell you something- I started doing the walk/run thing and it was great! Exhilarating! I wasn’t eating bugs while running (in fact I was so awesome I could dodge them!) I rocked!
And then…..I went for a run while we were vacationing at the Lake. UGH! This was not good. I couldn’t get a good pace going, I couldn’t plant my feet well enough, I couldn’t get my muscles to move very well. I can’t even begin to explain what was happening to my lungs.. Oh the burning!
All I could think was “This sucks! I suck at this! Who am I to think I am fit enough to actually become a ‘runner’. I cannot do this! I won’t do this!, I’m too fat for this!’
And then, as I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other… a bug came at me, and yup, you guessed it, I ate the frickin’ thing! I couldn’t dodge it for fear that if I ducked or tried to swat it away, I’d collapse and would need someone to perform CPR on me.
I was so discouraged.
When I got home one of the first things I did was email my trainer and to ask if she would come running with me, so that she could tell me what was happening.
The morning that she came over I felt like puking. Here is this amazing triathlete who could whip off 5K in her sleep and she was going to run with me. I was so scared of her judgement and I was petrified she would tell me I wasn’t cut out for running.
So, she showed up, I set the pace of the run and she talked (mostly because I was gasping for air and conversation from me would have definitely required CPR!).
She told me how she was out running a few weeks back and had a really bad run. The elements in which she was running were completely different than what she was used to. She told me that everyone has bad days and good days and focusing on the good ones were so much more important.
“This is happening now” is what she said- “don’t think about the next 5 or 10 minutes, or your next run, but stay in the moment and be ok with where you’re at- no matter where that is. Just the fact that you’re out here running is a great accomplishment.”
Well, we ran 5K, which I’d not done before. It was awesome and I was so proud of myself.
Since we ran together I’ve gone out a few more times on my own, and as I’m running I say to myself “this is happening right now, I can do this. I am a RUNNER!’
This had made the time that I run so much more fun and less challenging (mentally, emotionally & physically). I do not allow those limiting beliefs to hold me back- in fact, I run right through them and leave them in the dust.
Thinking negatively really impacted my ability to accomplish something that I wanted, it even made me stressed out!
If a negative thought (aka limiting belief) creeps in, I just acknowledge it as untrue. I then start a positive mantra and honestly everything becomes easier!
Not only have I become a super Ninja with the limiting beliefs while I’m running but also with the bugs flying at me!
Calgary Canada Life Coach Arianne Moore, founder of Path of Tranquility Life Coaching for Women, helps clients worldwide.