Pressure

What is pressure? Many people can and will describe pressure any number of different ways, but pressure to me is the intangible feeling that we must do well in our exploits. This is not an overt type of pressure. We feel it because all want to do well and want other to see us as doing well and to be accepted by our peers.

Where is this pressure originating? The origination of type of pressure can come from a number of sources. Most of the time, it comes from our closest friends because they are the ones who both know us best and know what we are capable of achieving. But, they are not doing it to make us feel bad, they only want us to do well.

How should we react to this pressure?

Well, this is truly the million dollar question. Everyone reacts to pressure differently. Some people find ways to avoid while others use it as the fuel they need to push to be even better.

Sometimes I feel like other people have preset expectations of me. They expect me to go out every time and be at my best.

But sometimes, I would like to just go out just run or race.

Last night, I was having dinner with some friends and we talked about how fast my time was at Twin Cities and how many miles that I put in per week.

I often think back to my first years of running. I would show up and run a race with the only expectation being that I would get a new T-Shirt and put in some miles.

Somewhere along the way, this transitioned into racing becoming more like work and less like the reason that I started.

All this occurred because people expected me to be better and I wanted to be accepted, but I wanted to be better myself.

Do I still feel pressure today? The answer is "Yes"; I do. But being a little older, I have grown to understand that while running is a major part of my life and provided with me many proud moments, it doesn't define who I am as a person nor does it define whether I am a successful at life.

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner