With Love, Your Friend Running

By: Nicky Tamberrino, Host of Maybe Running Will Help Podcast

If you really hate something, maybe you don’t have to do it. Right?

I mean, we don’t have to run.

That sounds freeing.

And it is, for a while.

But eventually, I think for some of us, we push too hard, then rebel in the completely opposite direction.

Sound familiar?

I think black and white thinking is common. No one wants to live in the messy middle.

But running, ahh yes, our friend running, that’s exactly where she lives.

You can’t be too aggressive or too aloof.

Reminds me of my own temperament with my husband, if I’m being honest.

This conversation dives into the swings of being a lifelong athlete. One who has to weather the storm of fluctuating performances and the inevitable hits to the ego. And who has to recalibrate again and again to find that balance between self-compassion and self-discipline. Neither of which I seem to practice at the right times lately.

I guess I’m still growing up. Still maturing as a runner… at 46.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. So much so that on runs I’ve started referring to myself as “young grasshopper.” I have no flipping idea where that came from, but it’s now a new identity in my already crowded roster of alter egos.

What does mature even mean in this sport?

I think it means surrendering.

Which seems to be my theme this year.

I’m like, dude…just chillllllll.

In fact, my notes app says two things:

Let it simmer.

And simmer down.

In other words, let’s not act on every impulse and let’s not freak out over every decision.

The exact opposite of my usual behavior.

Maybe the reason I’m so impulsive is because the alternative is stressing over making the right decision.

Sigh.

My conversations, on or off a recorded line, with Jeff are always enlightening.

Jeff Horowitz is a certified running, cycling, triathlon, and personal trainer who has completed more than 200 marathons and ultramarathons across six continents. A former attorney who left law to pursue his passion for endurance sports, he now teaches running and strength training at George Washington University and works with athletes ranging in age from 14 to 80. He has also authored several books on fitness and running.

But titles aside, what I value most is that he’s become an unofficial mentor to me. Someone who can give me a sanity check and encourage me – like you’ll hear in this episode when he puts me on the spot and calls it half run chat, half run therapy.

I think you’ll find something of your own to take away from this conversation.

But for me, the lesson is simple:

I don’t have to suffer through everything.

But I also won’t get results without effort.

Listen to the podcast here.