3 Things I Learned from Being a Runner

1. Practice the hardest part to succeed at large

“A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” - Tim Ferriss

When you start running, things get worse before they get better.

Runners know to train for the hills. We do inclined sprints in our workouts to prepare for that hill that’ll hit us at the 10th or 11th mile of a half marathon.

If you train on flat terrain (OR WORSE a treadmill) for an outdoor race, you won’t be prepared for the brutal uphill that tells you to go f yourself as you’re trying to march up it and make it to the finish line.

In other words, if you stay on the easy path and never decide to develop the more challenging skills or tackle the complicated projects, it is difficult to achieve larger success.

Deliberate practice on the hardest part helps you win.

2. It’s actually ridiculous to compare yourself to others

Comparing your career or life to someone else’s is like going out for a morning jog and comparing yourself to everyone else who’s running in the park.

You have no idea what their background is, how long they’ve been going for, or if they’re Olympic training.

You can’t compare yourself because you don’t know what their journey was to get their body to what it’s capable of today.

Run your own route. This is your unique journey.

Just make sure you’re giving it your best.

3. Comfort zones are reestablished by consistent discomfort

When you first start training at a faster pace, it’s really hard. But you keep at it until it feels easy.

At which point, you make it harder and push through it until it gets easy again.

Then you up your game, making it harder still and eventually, you get to a point where you push yourself so hard that it is never easy.

You train and train, stretching your comfort zone and lactic acid threshold to run harder, faster, and stronger.

You see the results in shorter mile times, and a stronger body because you reestablished your comfort zone.

This is precisely why I think all runners are actually crazy.