Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are: Run CowTown Edition.
As a recovering all-or-nothing thinker, I have to remind myself sometimes that something is always better than nothing, and all-or-nothing usually leads to nothing. In the beginning, my health and fitness journey was quite bumpy with all the ups and downs that come from a go-big-or-go-home mindset, and I mean ups and downs in the most literal sense.
I lost a lot of weight when I over-exercised and under-fueled. It's obvious now, but at the time, I was shocked that this proved unsustainable and the inevitable period of weight gain would follow. I was stuck on this frustrating rollercoaster for years before I learned and practiced a more moderate and sustainable approach.
Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are.
It applies to all areas of life, but this quote helped me understand and practice a more moderate approach to health and fitness.
We don't have to do everything perfectly. We don't have to exercise for an hour six or seven days a week, and we certainly don't have to banish all delicious foods from our diets! We can make progress, become healthier, and live our best lives with a moderate approach to exercise and nutrition.
Once I jumped off the all-or-nothing train, everything became much easier, but if I am not careful, my mind wants to revert to my old comfortable ways.
Run The Cowtown
Cowtown 5K 2022
I usually run the Cowtown half marathon in February, but I was a little burnt out on long runs after the Dallas half and decided to go for the 10K instead. I figured I could train for speed and keep all my runs under an hour. I felt proud of myself for not feeling like I had to run the half marathon as I might have in the past.
But then, as life does, it had other plans. At the end of January, I was in a minor (not serious, in no way life-altering) accident involving some dogs. I had to drastically reduce my running volume to allow my body to heal, which put a wrench in my plan for a fast 10K. I spent most of February running one or two miles three days a week or less.
As you probably know, running is a use-it-or-lose-it sport. The first time I ran three miles after three weeks, it felt hard, damn it. I started to think the 10K was out of reach. Well, I knew I could do it, but with the reduced running volume in February, I knew it would be physically and mentally painful. Honestly, for me, running is enjoyable. Suffering through an undertrained 10K isn't my idea of fun. I am more than willing to suffer in the name of a fast race or a personal record attempt, but this wasn't the same.
I thought of dropping out, but then I remembered: This isn't an all-or-nothing choice! Maybe the 10K was outside of my sphere of fun, but what about the 5K? I could run three miles at a decent pace and still get out there, have fun, and participate in the Cowtown events.
So I transferred my registration down to the 5K.
The Cowtown is one of my favorite races of the year, and I was thrilled to lace up my shoes in participation. It was a cold but dry morning, and I still managed to place fourth in my age group despite my reduced training volume.
What you can when you can with what you have, means to let go of any expectations of what you should do, what you could do, or what you feel you are supposed to do and do something, anything to move forward.
I said it once before, but it bears repeating now; all-or-nothing usually leads to nothing. Trying to be perfect or feeling like you have to go hard all the time usually leads to burnout and rebound. Letting go of those ideas gives us the freedom to be imperfect but still make progress!
Now that I am feeling better physically, I am looking forward to rebuilding my running volume and racing another 10K and half marathon again in the future. There will always be another race!
I am so glad that I didn't let what I couldn't do get in the way of what I could do! I had a great time on the Cowtown course in Fort Worth, and it reinforced that doing what I can is always enough. I could have sulked that the half or 10K wouldn't happen this year, but instead, I ran a fun 5K.
So you can't do everything, no one can, but you can usually do something! What does this mean for you?
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