Sometimes we need motivation

I never really thought I was the type of person to really "get" motivational posters or sayings.  Sure I read them and some I would think "that's cool" but never thought of them again.

Lately I've found that I really like them. I'm not sure why this happened all of a sudden. Of course most of them are running related or deal with working out in general.  I have also found some that are really funny and have been sharing them with a friend I run with once a week or so and it at least makes the work day a bit easier to get through.

There is one saying that I saw that I actually printed and taped up in my closet. I wasn't going to admit this to anybody. I felt embarrassed by it, in a way I kinda of still am.

The above really stuck with me for some reason.  I have it taped to a container that my sports bras are stored in, so I see it every time I go to either change into my workout clothes or gather them to go in the gym bag for a workout later in the day.

One day at work I was talking to a co-worker/friend who also works out and we were talking about insecurities with our workouts.  I mentioned the quote and told him how I had it taped up in my closet.  I told him not to make fun of me.  He said he never would, he has a motivational word written on the inside of his gym bag so every time he works out he see's it and it motivates him to work out harder.  It was great to see that somebody else understood where I was coming from.  Sometimes a word or a saying will really hit a nerve and stay with us and mean something to us.

Why this one specifically?  It's because I always feel like I'm not good enough. My pace is slow, my runs are just ok. I know so many people who run faster, and further, and better than I do.  I was running with a group on Sunday's for our long runs.  The pace was slower for all of us, only for them it's 2 min or more slower, for me it was either less than a minute or 1 minute slower.  I felt like I was somehow always struggling to be as good as they were.  I didn't even realize this at first, but late last year noticed how their race times were so freaking fast. It's awesome, I'm happy for them. I started to get upset about my race times though when I realized just how much better they were than me. How these slower runs must seem really slow to them, when I sometimes struggle because of the distance, the heat, etc. I enjoy the challenge, I know that it helps me to push myself. It doesn't mean I don't get upset about it though.

I know I improved a lot with my running last year. I worked my butt off for it and it paid off. I know I can get back to that once I'm able to really train again.  However right now I am forced to go at a slower pace and take things easy. While I realize this is for the best and I don't mind doing it, it can also be frustrating.  I've also been dealing with a lot of depression issues and feeling inferior in my running played in to that.

Then I came across the quote above.  It hit a nerve.  I felt it was true for me. I strive to be better, I work on it (when I'm able).  That's what really matters.  That I don't give up.  We all have bad days, there will always be somebody better.  What matters is that we strive to be the best that we can be, in whatever that is.  For me, that's in running, in my over-all fitness, and my goal to start doing triathlons.

I read this almost every day, sometimes twice. I'll read it sometimes in the morning when dressing for work but always when I'm getting my workout clothes together.  I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, but it's helped. I'm much more confident in myself as an amateur athlete. I know the level of fitness I'm at now, or rather what I was in before becoming pregnant, and I know what I want to be at after baby girl arrives.  I know it'll take a lot of dedication and hard work to make it happen. On those days when I read about everyone else's workouts and I see them getting in mileage I've never even attempted, and I see people doing mileage I can do but at a much faster pace than I've been able to do, I remind myself of this quote.  For me, it's making a word of difference.