I’m so stoked that it’s warming up in Ohio and I can get back to comfortably running outside again. My gym closed down a couple of months ago, so running has been the only exercise I’ve been taking while I (slowly) look for a new gym.
Running outside is great, because I can feel and see myself making progress. I run from my apartment around Ohio Stadium and back, or I’ll run from the trailhead to a certain bridge downtown and back.
But like my experience running on a treadmill and finding myself getting “tired” as I saw myself nearing the two-mile mark, the same can happen outdoors. As I approach the goal I set in my mind, I feel myself ratcheting down the intensity.
The double-edged sword of working for yourself and having a ton of freedom and flexibility is that you only have to negotiate with yourself when you want to do something (or not do something). And this is dangerous, because I’m a persuasive little bugger.
So I’m constantly trying to reinforce mental toughness and non-negotiation.
Exercise is great for this. As I feel myself beginning to negotiate with myself for when/where my rest period will come, I shift focus and push myself to go a little further. And it usually sucks!
But if I can’t push myself through an extra half mile on this run, how will I push myself through my next cash flow crunch, failure, or setback?
Mental toughness is like a muscle. The more I flex it, the more I raise my baseline.
Plus, I love efficiency. Two workouts in one? Sign me up.