BIG RUNNING GOAL TIP 6: Make it about the journey, not just race day

A lot can happen come race day. And the majority of it will be out of your control. It could be related to the weather, a ‘malfunction’ of some sort, and in current times the race might not even go ahead! Plenty of athletes have sadly and frustratingly trained for their big event for months, or even years and had it cancelled or rescheduled, multiple times.

And then of course there’s the simple fact that some days it all comes together, and other days - it just doesn’t. So I’d encourage you not to lose sight of all the days that lead to that one day – race day.

If you do, you not only place a lot of added pressure on yourself for everything going ‘to plan’, I believe you also do the entirety of your journey a disservice. Because you might not fully appreciate and recall some of what you went through (the good and the challenging!) to get to race day.

Journaling is a great way to make it about the journey. You are quite literally recording your journey, and the simple process of putting pen to paper helps anchor it in. And of course it also gives you something to reflect on later.

I’ve seen too many people walk away from the finishing line carrying such a weight of disappointment with them, and I don’t think it has to be that way. There is such a richness of experience that can come from training for a big event for the 1st time, irrespective of what happens on race day. That’s certainly the case with a marathon, and it’s yours for the taking if you choose it.

Make it about the journey and I guarantee you will not be disappointed, whether you make it to race day or not, whether you have the race of your life or not.

Life will go on, and it will be more than okay!

Click here to see all 6 tips to get ready to take on your big running goal