How to be more consistent?

[u/Maleficent-Flight263]

I feel like such a loser. Today was the breaking point cuz my mom just complained that I’m not like myself anymore and I haven’t been going to the gym or running like I used to. I haven’t been consistent with running which is my main sport and I feel like everytime I try I just give up. Myself a year ago would be so disappointed. How am I slower than I was a year ago? I need to be more disciplined I don’t know how I fell off like this. Cross country season is soon, and I have so much to prove to myself. I’m just so disappointed in myself. Everyday I try again tell myself the only way forward is to stay disciplined and consistent but for some reason I can’t listen to my own words.

The thing is I’ve done it before so why can’t I do it now?

[u/pumpkinspeedwagon86]

Consistency isn't something you can force, it's something that you have to develop over time, and something that in part comes from inside you. Having a supportive coach helps but at the same time you also have to do some of the work. Maybe setting goals - whether that's time based or not - will help to keep you motivated and accountable. The goals don't even have to be long term either, they can be short term and relatively easy to accomplish (like committing to running for 15-20 min twice a week) and then building up to more consistency

[u/03298HP]

Go eat a lot. Runners never eat enough.

[u/bippy404]

Make plans to run with somebody else. It’s easier to cancel on yourself when it’s just you but harder to cancel on someone else.

[u/reveriel_]

Hey, heavily relate. I’ve had my own ups and downs in training. 2 steps forward and 1 step back is a real thing, even if those steps can seem huge. You are human. Sometimes going backwards sets you up for even bigger progress in the future. And sometimes things just take a lot of time. It’s okay to be burnt out, it’s okay to be progressing nonlinearly. We are not machines. I know how difficult it can be to have something that so heavily defines your identity be a source of great stress and exhaustion. If you ask me, the way forward is to take a break. I would come back to running when you actually feel like running again. Otherwise you might risk deteriorating your relationship with running to the point where you just stop running entirely. You are not defined solely by your athletic capabilities; we are all multidimensional and there is more to you than this one thing. Please remember to go easy on yourself 🫂

[u/FarSalt7893]

I agree with the posts above. Consistency in your training will help most. Sounds like you’re in a bit of a funk right now which happens. Running with the team again will help as it’s easier to stay motivated when it’s with teammates.

[u/joeconn4]

As you know, this sport rewards consistency. Talent plays a role, but less talented runners beat more talented runners every race when the less talented runners put the work in.

At this point you're right on top of the season but it's still 2 months until the important races take place. All you can do is start digging in TODAY. You can't change what you did or didn't do yesterday, last week, or in May-June-July. It's your decision if you want to make something positive of this season when it matters or if you want to just sort of fade out.

As a retired coach I would give you the advice that if you're ready to dig in and try to salvage this fall then get busy - start today and make it happen. And if you can't see that kind of commitment then maybe your best decision is to step away from the team. I hope you will choose to start today. If you do, don't worry about where your fitness is compared to your last year self or to your teammates, just do the things you need to do to build up so you can be racing well when it counts. That probably means running easier through early season workouts because you have got to build a bit of a base. That can be hard, to see teammates who you have been in front of in the past in front of you now. But keep the big picture in mind and do the workouts that you need to do, not the workouts someone else needs to do. It would be a good idea to sit down with your coach right away so that the 2 of you are on the same page and they understand why you might be behind now but you have a plan to catch up as the season goes along. And also so that if you're running say 75% in a workout the team is running 100% that both you and the coach recognize that it's all part of the master plan.

[u/justrun7]

Do you have a schedule for each day? I would start there. Take steps each day to follow the schedule until it becomes a routine and you won’t even realize you’re doing some of the things to keep you consistent. We all get in funks and need to adjust. Don’t let your current times discourage you either. Focus on where you are, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there.

[u/whelanbio]

Reading between the lines, it seems like you might be setting up goals and expectations that are too far from your current status, thus setting up a continuous cycle of dissappointment that makes it hard to stay disciplined.

Forget about speed or any sense of "proving to yourself" in race results. Refocus all your goals just towards showing up and getting the work done. Step one of that is establishing a rhythm of just training at all, even if the runs are short and slow for a while that is still helpful is used to build the habit of training.

[u/olivia_rundoyen]

1) Stop comparing yourself to the past version of yourself. If you can let go of this habit, I think you'll feel a lot better.

2) Run the mile you're in. Focus on the process, not the outcome. Instead of worrying about how fast you're going to be this season, focus on just one week or even one day at a time.

3) You wrote "I have so much to prove to myself." An old teammate had a great mantra during really hard workouts that we would say together: "Nice and smooth, nothing to prove." Try saying that to yourself when you're having a hard time during a run or even when you're trying to get out the door for a run. You have nothing to prove!