
On January 1st, I decided to let my boyfriend create my training plan for my running. I was incredibly nervous about this. Running is my happy place. Even if I complain about having to go out there, which I do often in the winter, it’s still my happy place. More often than not, I feel good after running and have generated ideas while out there. While I love the physical benefits of running, the mental benefits are the bigger driver of my running. What would happen if I relinquished control? Would it feel more like a chore? Suck all the fun out of it, because someone else was deciding what I would run and when? What if I didn’t like the workouts? He’d said I was going to start with sprint workouts first. I have never been great at doing sprints, never enjoyed them. I’ve always said that running isn’t about speed for me, it’s about distance. Would I stop experiencing the mental benefits? Would the release of control impact other areas? Would I feel better about not having control in life, or would I feel worse? And of course, if any of this did happen, how the heck would it impact our relationship?
The first week was hard. It had been so long since I had done sprints and I really wasn’t in great shape, so I had a bunch of anxiety that first week. Of course, even though I thought that, I also had some bit of hope(expectation) that I would be better than I hoped. I was pretty beat up that first week.
However, looking back, I’ve learned a lot from doing this. First, as much as I love running, I don’t like planning the workouts. I do so much other planning for my business, that I generally fall into a routine with my running. It actually felt good to let someone else plan it out. Sure, some days because of weather and/or the day, I had to switch work outs, but for the most part, I just did what the excel sheet said.
Second, expanding our comfort zone in areas where we have a fair amount of comfort does help us lean into expanding it in other areas of life. I was more willing to try uncomfortable things outside of running, because with my running, I kept learning I wouldn’t die under the expansion.
Third, we are capable of more than we realize and that’s why we need outside help. My V02 Max was at 48 before I started the training. It had been at 50 recently, but it wasn’t those last two weeks of December. During the last week of training, my V02 Max got to 56. That was huge! Even if I had designed sprint workouts, I would have made them easier. I would have created them based on what I felt I was capable of, not objectively based on sprint training plan recommendations, like someone else did.
In hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised it went this well. This is what I do with my clients, what my coach does with me in life & business; Jon was essentially my running coach and I should have known he would get great results.
What about you? Have you let someone take over planning something for you? Something you weren’t really sure you needed help “planning”?
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