Every Wednesday, the Deb from Deb Runs will be providing a word about which to blog. Kind of like a nice little blog prompt. Posts can be fitness or health related, but don’t have to be, so really anyone can play along. Just be sure to link up with InLinkz on Deb’s main post, and share the love by reading and commenting on other’s participant’s posts.
This week’s Word is Optimism.
Optimism is defined as “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something” or this definition which I like better:
For the most part, I think runners are optimists. We wouldn’t be out there day after day if we weren’t.
As runners, how can we be more optimistic?
- Take risks.
Run in a place where you’ve never run before. Don’t use excuses such as “I may get lost,” “I’m not good on hills, “It’s too far,” “Trails are too hard,”I’m too slow to run with them,” “Tracks are boring,”etc. Take a chance. This new place could become your new favorite route. An optimistic runner will seize new opportunities with an open mind.
- Don’t be afraid to fail.
Sign up for a new distance. Join a running group. Try a new race. You never know how you’ll do until you try. Running is hard. So yes, you may fail. An optimistic runner will try and expect to cross that finish line.
- Focus on the positive in a run or race.
Runners will have bad runs. There will be awful races. We will get injured. But an optimistic runner will see value in each running experience and is able find something positive:
-I ran my fastest mile
-I didn’t get injured
-I crossed the finish line
-It was faster than my last race
-I had negative splits
-I ran at an even pace
-I ran up the hills
-I did it inspite of….
-I had fun
-I made a new friend
-Great bling.
-Pretty course
- Make new goals.
Don’t give up if you don’t succeed. You’re not too slow.Maybe the course was hard. Maybe the weather was the culprit. If you didn’t meet your goal, just sign up for another race. Keep trying.
Am I an optimistic runner?
Sometimes I am not. I whine about how I wish I could run faster. I complain that I didn’t have the race time that I wanted. I sulk when my training runs suck. I don’t like to run when it’s too cold, too hot, too humid, too windy, etc. I hate the treadmill. Blah blah blah.
So this post is therapeutic.
I have a half marathon in 11 days!!
I am going to be an optimist:
- I will have fun.
- I will enjoy the beautiful course.
- I will cross the finish line with smile.
- I will give it my best shot.
- If it is not up to my expectations, I will still look at its positive outcomes.
- I will continue running half marathons as long as I can.
this race is going to be a blast!!
Happy Running! Are you an optimist?
My First 5K and More... 
Definitely an optimist, just no pollyanna!
If you weren’t an optimist you would have already quit on the half distance (and not run after breaking your ankle, either).
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True.
But sometimes I get caught up in those pessimistic thoughts, like anyone else.
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No one can be positive all the time! Not and be a real person.
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I agree. As long as we are positive most of time. Those negative Nellies are annoying.
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All of your (excellent) points lead to one thing: improvement. By taking risks, trying new things, even failing a little bit, we grow stronger/faster/better. You need the belief in a better future that comes with optimism if you ever want to improve!
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Yes!!! You are absolutely right! And I think you even said it better than I did.
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Couldn’t agree more! You’re a much better runner by having confidence to set new goals and take risks!
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Yes and I need to remind myself of that.
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I’m waiting for you to take that risk…to sign up for that new distance…to not be afraid to fail. Like you said, you’ll never know until you try. As much as you run and as many HMs as you’ve done, you CAN do a full.
No pressure though! LOL. I’m just messing with you.
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Ha Ha Ha!! I do think about it but training takes so much time. And I don’t want to do it alone. I think maybe when I retire (if ever.)
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These are great tips. I especially like the first one – try something new! And I would add — without expectations. Doing new things just for fun makes them, well, more fun!
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Yes. That is true. Expectations add too much pressure.
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I love that pic with the quote about the crayons ion the box 😉 I totally agree with the try something new…..that damn comfort zone we all like to hibernate in does us NO good! Even if you don’t like each new experience, it’s better than not taking the risk.
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Sometimes when I run a new route. I say why didn’t I run here before? Same thing happened when I joined a running group. It took me years to have the confidence. Now I do it without thinking.
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I’m usually an optimist except when I’m injured (damn PF). This is going to be a tough training cycle.
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Yes I understand. Injuries make it rough being positive. You will get through it. You are so strong.
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I think most runners are very optimistic by nature. You’ve listed so many great ideas on how we can be even more optimistic about our running.
Thanks for linking up!
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