“The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” Martina Navratilova
Commit: “To obligate or pledge oneself” Webster
Ahhhh, it’s that wonderful time of the year, summer! It gets hot and humid, there are barbecues to attend, and vacations to be had. All great reasons to skip a run or two. But if you are like many runners, you probably have races scheduled in the early fall. September and October are big months for 10ks, half marathons, marathons, and beyond. So, what is going to give?
If you are truly committed to your goals, then you already have the answer. Despite all of the reasons above, and quite frankly, if you are committed to your goals, you would probably call them excuses, you will get your ass out there and do the necessary training to be ready for your race or races. However, if you read this and say, “Come on Joe, it’s summer, take it easy for crying out loud!” You’re probably more like the chicken up there. Involved, “I’ll get a run in here or there on vacation, but I’ll skip a few because I don’t have the time.” Instead of committed, “I’ll set my clock and squeeze that 10k training run in before my family gets up.”
It’s not for me to tell you what is right or wrong, because there is no right or wrong answer, and I do not want you to feel guilty for doing what you are doing. But, what I can tell you, is that if you set aggressive goals for yourself in the fall, such as new PBs or finishing high on the leaderboard in your age group, then involved probably won’t cut it. Because there are plenty of other people who are committed.
For me personally, I do the necessary things to give myself the best opportunity to achieve my goals. I run in the heat, I run on vacation, I run before work, and I run at night. I do not always achieve the goals that I set for myself, but I almost never regret the effort that I put in win or lose, because I know that I am committed and putting in the work.
The point of all this is to be sure to be honest with yourself and adjust. If you need the break and want to relax a little this summer, then either adjust your goals or your expectations so that you can still get satisfaction and enjoyment from your running and your races. If you set yourself up for failure, you risk getting frustrated and walking away from a healthy lifestyle, and that would be a shame, because running is so much more than PB’s and medals.
If you are committed and you are putting in ALL of the work, then dig in and go for it! And again, win or lose, be completely satisfied with your effort and realize that what makes our sport so incredible is that there is never a guarantee. Especially when you get to half marathon and above. Anything can happen out there and in my opinion, the very challenge is in the fact that on any given day we can fail. That is what makes the successes so, so sweet!
For those of you who have been following, you know that I have a 40-mile race in October, and I have no idea whether or not I will have a successful day. But I can tell you this. I am committed. I am doing the work, just follow me on Strava and you will see that. My miles are increasing with the temperatures out there, and my diet is cleaned up so that I can try and have my fitness peak at the right moment. Win, lose, or draw, I won’t have any regrets. In a way, I’ve already succeeded; before I ever toed the line.
I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!
For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner Strava: Joe Randene
Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!