Hi there! There are a lot of similarities between setting yourself up for success in running, in your health, and in other areas of your life.
This week I was part of a panel discussion at Camp Strava, an event with 300 athletes and content creators from around the world.
I was asked to share some closing thoughts about things learned over the years.
Some of my biggest learnings:
THINK LONG TERM! Most people over-estimate how much they can accomplish in the short term, and under-estimate how much they can do with consistent effort and patience long term. 15 or 30 minutes a day might not seem like much at first, until you do it 6 months, 12 months or 24+ months straight.
PROGRESS CAN BE MEASURED IN MANY WAYS! I come across many athletes who only measure progress in their running paces, training volume and race results. I’d challenge you to look at other areas that you may notice improvements too, for example: how do you feel inside and outside, what are your energy levels like, any niggles, pain or injuries, how consistent are you able to train, potential weight loss, etc.
THINK BIG! We can accomplish so much more than we think in many areas of our life. Your imagination is often your limitation, don’t let this hold you back.
A personal example:
10 years ago I started my first running blog post “ How I trained to run a Sub 3 marathon? ” Then 5 years ago I started working on my first online running coaching program. This entire “passion project” has been developed outside my full time job and family life. Have a big vision, with delayed gratification. In order to pull this off, I worked on this consistently, 1 step at the time. For 5 years we improved and optimized our Personal Best Program and now we have a thriving community of supportive athletes in 50 countries, reaching their Personal Best daily in a variety of areas.
Accomplishing meaningful progress takes time! My next project is to write a book about running and health, to launch in Q4, 2025, that’s in 866 days.
So my advice for your training, racing and daily life:
Be patient, show up consistently and whenever in doubt, Zoom out your time horizon. This can help reduce the pressure and keep things enjoyable and sustainable for a long period of time.
Have fun out there on your run.
Cheers,
Floris Gierman
PBprogram.com / PATHprojects.com
YouTube / Podcast / Strava / Instagram
P.S. I loved reading the positive responses to the latest Extramilest Show “How to start running when you are out of shape?” If you haven’t listened to that one yet, find it on Apple Podcast , Spotify and YouTube , or your other favorite podcast platform.
