I bought some new shoes.
Shockingly, they aren’t a pair of dangerously-high-yet-devastatingly-gorgeous heels…they are running shoes. Here I was, running miles upon miles each week; yet, I hadn’t realized I had put off buying the right equipment for running. Why?
It struck me as I jogged today- I had put off purchasing running shoes for two very important reasons:
1) I didn’t consider myself a runner, and therefore would not need running shoes, and
2) If I couldn’t cut it & quit, I wouldn’t feel so bad about having sunk major bucks into equipment I might never again need.
Here’s the problem with those premises: I was setting myself up to fail, and giving myself excuses for why it was ok to fail. The other, less obvious, problem with that way of thinking is this: once I tied on my new running shoes, it changed running forever!
Now let, me back up. Let me describe my old “running shoes.” They were old. Years old. And they weren’t dedicated running shoes: they were cross-trainers, which I really thought would have been fine for running. However, every time I ran in them, I got terrible blisters on my feet, and my joints hurt so so bad. I would end up soaking my feet and legs for hours after my long runs. After asking around to some of my runner friends, I heard that their joints don’t hurt and they don’t have blisters and calluses on their feet.
Then, I ran in my new running shoes today (and they are made specifically for running). I have no blisters and my joints don’t hurt, for the first time since I’ve started running!!! I enjoyed the run so much more, just because I could run and run and run without pain!
Morals of the story: when you set goals for yourself, make sure you give yourself the tools to succeed! Also, believe in yourself!