for those who love the outdoors
12 July, 2024
I was asked at a presentation recently what I thought the worst mistake is that a runner can make.
A great question, and one that got me thinking such that I wanted to dive into it further in today’s article.
Let me start by saying what I DO NOT think the worst mistakes are, which interestingly, is directly opposite to what Chat GPT (AI) threw back at me when I asked it out of curiosity.
According to ChatGPT, the worst mistakes a runner can make include any of the following:
Sensible and logical suggestions? On the face of it, yes they are, I don’t disagree at all that getting any of these things significantly wrong can have detrimental consequences to your running.
Let me ask you this question though. Have you ever made any of these ‘biggest mistakes’? I certainly have. Probably all of them multiple times being totally honest. My guess it that you have too, and that’s OK.
Am I likely to make them again? I wouldn’t bet against it – I’m human after all, and humans quite often get things wrong, especially ambitious ones who are willing to push their own boundaries in the pursuit of success.
But despite being prone to these mistakes from time to time, am I still here? Am I still going strong? Too bloody right I am. It means too much to me not to be.
If we accept that we are imperfect humans, rather than perfect robots, then I think we need to take a broader look at things to find where the biggest mistake a runner can make is.
What I think that this list of common mistakes is totally overlooking, is to ask what do you do once one of these things has happened? How do you deal with it?
This is where things get serious and is where the biggest mistake a runner can ever make often occurs…
That mistake being to give up.
And by giving up, in some cases this means quitting completely, or other times abandoning goals and targets far too easily without much fight.
Sadly, I’ve seen it too many times, both with athletes I’ve raced against or trained alongside, or from those who I have worked with in a coaching capacity. It truly breaks my heart when I see it.
There are a few things to look out for, either in yourself or you may be able to see it happening to others.
The runners who sadly to give up are nearly always unable to move past the initial ‘why me’ phase, which by the way I think is healthy for a brief period as it shows you care.
They can’t see the wood through the trees to ride out a tough period, don’t utilise help and remain solely focussed on the negative.
Like the gold rush diggers who gave up and turned back when they were only a few feet away from riches, the costs of giving up will be far greater than the short-term pain of having to deal with a setback.
You see, giving up means forgetting about all the hard work done, all the progress made, all the growth that has occurred, and losing sight of how the glory moments can still happen if the goals are reset.
I know it can be easier said than done to remain positive when you are in the thick of it and it feels like everything is up against you, trust me I’ve been there plenty of times.
I have got injured right before huge target races. I have totally lost all form when I was supposed to be peaking. I have had long spells where every run feels like slogging through the last few miles of a marathon.
But, no matter how what the setback has been, I have always managed to bounce back and move on. Not just bounce back but go on to do memorable things. Run personal bests, achieve things that felt a million miles away, and feel incredible doing so.
If 23 years in the sport has taught me anything, it’s that if you can just keep your head in the game even through the toughest moments, then you are going to be rewarded in the long term. As heartbreaking as it is to see runners give up easily, its also amazing to see those who have overcome serious setbacks be rewarded for their perseverance.
How you can increase your chances of achieving this and building the resilience muscles, there are plenty of strategies for and we can dive fully into next time – but for now, just be aware that as long as you are continuing to show up each day, you are avoiding the worst mistake a runner could ever make of giving up.
John Beattie is a coach who helps ambitious marathon runners achieve their ultimate goals in both running and life, through 1:to:1 online coaching.
John has also been an elite runner for many years, and has represented Great Britain and England in track, cross country and road running.
Although now focussed primarily on coaching, John is keen to lead by example and show older runners that ‘age is just a number.’ Now in his late 30s, and 23 years into his own running journey, he is still competing at a national level and remains under 30-minutes for 10k in 2024.
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