Negativity and Inspiration

When I signed up for the run I was looking around the internet for some inspiration. I had read Bangs and a Bun for a while and came across this interview with Fawn Dorr, a pro runner in the States. It's a great read and Fawn is very inspiring, regardless of whether you're a runner or not. Keeping at something and not giving up have parallels with my own battles with my health.

One thing that really stuck in my mind from the interview was this:

" I don’t often say negative or demotivating things. I don’t allow for people that I’m training with to say things like “I can’t” or “it’s too much or too hard.”

The first time I read the post I thought, wow, she sounds really tough! But having started on my own journey I'm beginning to think think a little differently.

It's been so interesting how different people in my life have responded when I tell them about doing the run, and why. A lot of people have been fantastically supportive, listening to my complaints, giving advice, sponsoring me, and generally saying all the right things. If you are one of those people - Thank you very much! I can't tell you how much it helps. Sometimes, when I'm running I recite the names of the people who have sponsored me in my head so I know I can't give in to the discomfort because I don't want to let you down.

Part of what helps to keep me going is telling people how I'm doing and I suppose part of the "social contract" is people being encouraging or supportive.

But what of the people who aren't encouraging? What of the people who say things which are, on the face of it, totally harmless, but if they leave you in the position of defending your choices, when deep down you agree, what then?

Some examples...

Running? You don't want to do that, you'll ruin your knees! 

I think you're insane, getting up in the morning to go and run around.

10K? That's a long way to run for a first timer, why didn't you start with a 5K?

My favourite, uttered in tones of disgust: Why would you do *that*? 

It's silly really, that so few people have been anything but positive. It's always the negative things that stick in my mind and so the spiral down begins as I wonder, why, why would I do it? I hate it. I'm crap at it. I'm never going to be any good, I'm going to embarrass myself and let everyone down...

I realised these comments have very little to do with me and usually a lot to do the person saying them. Returning the quotation at the top of the post, what Fawn is saying is that she doesn't want negativity around her because it drags her down and it just takes energy away from what she's doing. Perhaps it is fierce, but that's what it takes for her to get her job done. I can relate to that. So, if I can anticipate that someone I know isn't going to be happy for me, or supportive when I need a bit of a confidence boost, then I just don't tell them about it. It's weird in some ways for me to not talk about such a huge part of my life but that's been interesting too, to see how some communications go and what are my expectations of other people. I'm learning so much more than simply how to run.