Light bulb moment: I often approach running with a fixed mindset. I have x amount of talent and that is the way it is. I often give up when workouts get tough, and as a result am disappointed even though the outcome is not terrible. A good example of this is the Wisconsin Marathon last May. Yes it got hot. Yes I was alone. But I distinctly remember looking at my watch at around Mile 20 and thinking, I can really back off and still qualify for Boston. And that is what I did. The last 10K was miserable. I walked. A lot. I zeroed in on "I can't do it" so I didn't. In fact, probably every 5K last year, this was my mentality. "It's too hard."
I often feel like this in workouts and so I back off. I do not push past my comfort zone. Here is an excerpt from the book that summarizes a new approach I am working on with training:
"Don't fool yourself. Keep on going." <---Mantra!
(A few quick paragraphs talk a little bit further about the mindset concept in relation to parenting in this recent Upworthy link.)
Trevor and I are always talking about how you shouldn't tell kids they are smart (we did a lot with growth mindset through math teaching). That Upworthy article got it so right - I hope that thing goes viral. The tough part is - how to retrain our families? It doesn't happen that much with us yet, but we overhear people saying how smart our niece is quite frequently. Although it is comforting to know, from our experience with high schoolers, that kids can form a growth mindset later on with the right coaching and praise.
ReplyDeleteI hope this has a positive impact on your running!