A Smarter Way to Celebrate

If you want to prevent burn out or keep the joy in your running, start doing this one simple thing:

Celebrate.

I know…it’s not as important as other things, you don’t have time, and you don’t see the benefit.

But trust me, it’s one of the reasons I’ve thrived over the 20+ years and 300 ultras I’ve been in this sport.

Whether you finish a race and hurry on to the next, or try to move on as quickly as possible from a DNF, it’s easy to slip onto the hamster wheel of doing, doing, doing that creates burnout.

You’ll celebrate when you get “there.”

But there’s always a next so you never get there, and running becomes a never-ending chore that loses it’s joy.

On the other hand, celebrating now says where you are is worth appreciating, no matter what it looks like.

The distance you've travelled so far is a there.

And you’re totally allowed to feel wowed by it.

So why don’t we do it?

The most common reason is we think celebrating has to look a certain way.

We can only celebrate certain things - big, noteworthy achievements like first finish of a new distance, a PR, a win, etc.

And we can only celebrate in certain ways - like a party or buying ourselves a reward.

We end up focusing on the form of celebration and missing the substance.

But there’s a better way.

First, celebrate more than the big, obvious things. There’s plenty of it.

And second, make that celebrating part of your everyday. Easy.

Here are four examples.

1. Celebrate how far you’ve come.

Take a moment and look back at the races you’ve run over the year, one at a time. Feel what each means to you. Visualize the races from your current perspective.

What did you get from each?

2. Celebrate what your body CAN do.

Think about all your body did over the past X months - running, healing, racing, going without sleep, recovering... Appreciate it’s strength, muscles, and endurance.

What do you love most about it?

3. Celebrate your bravery, courage and willingness to risk.

Appreciate your past self for what she was willing to do in the face of doubt, how she did her best, and the things she did that make your current goals possible.

As Snoop Dog says,

“Last but not least, I wanna thank me

I wanna thank me for believing in me

I wanna thank me for doing all this hard work

I wanna thank me for having no days off

I wanna thank me for, for never quitting”

If you could go back in time and thank your past self, what would you say?

4. Celebrate your worthiness.

Every so often, take a break. Not from running - from forcing or pushing yourself.

You’re already worthy. You don’t have to earn it, so let your desire and body dictate your run for a change.

It might surprise you. If you remove the time pressure, you might crave something harder or longer than you expect.

Altogether, these four ideas in your every day life will change your running.

Celebrating will become part of your new, joyful norm.

It’s one of the improvement strategies I’ve learned over the years and an example of how I help clients change for the better.

If you’re curious about coaching with me, the first step is simple - use this link to set up a consult call.

Let’s talk through your upcoming goals and how mindset coaching can make them a sure bet.