Struggling in Training

Having a bad day or two when training can be discouraging, but it is not the end of the world. Most athletes have practices in which they just can’t seem to get it together, days when they can’t keep up with the people they usually run with, and days when they keep failing to hit their interval time. But you know what, everyone has those days.

My freshman year there was a senior on my team who was the best runner we had. I often ran with her and a few other girls on the team on long runs, and I would have to push myself to stick with them on most days. Every once in a while, she would have a day in which the rest of the group would be pushing her and she fell back a little bit. Though I had fallen back on several occasions, it struck me that she had these days too, because I always thought of her as invincible and the best.

My inexperienced mind now understood that it was ok and completely normal to have practices in which you seem to be struggling your way through it. Everybody’s bodies recover at different rates, and sometimes your body is just feeling exceptionally tiered, soar, bloated, cramped up, or whatever else it may be that is holding you back that day.

Push through the bad practices and let it roll off your chest, because soon you will be back in the grind and feeling yourself again. You will have bad days that are frustrating, and good days that can sometimes offer a false sense of optimism and security, so let the practices come and remember that you are working each day to get one step closer toward your ultimate goal, whatever that may be.