“I know what I should be doing… I’m just not doing it.”
“I don’t know why I can’t figure this out…”
“I want to be a better runner, but I don’t want to give up everything else to do it…”
These are things I hear every week.
And if they sound familiar, then let me ask you…
Have you ever wondered if you’re focusing on the wrong things?
For example, the issue might not be a lack of knowledge when it comes to your training.
Even with all the nonsense and background noise out there, I know a lot of people who train using mediocre programs and make tons of progress.
They wake up early, toss on their running gear, and head out the door to follow some mid set of speed intervals.
And they do it every week.
Whether it’s raining.
Or snowing.
Or cold.
Or hot.
They just do it.
We know these stories.
We know these people.
As a result, we think that’s what we need to do to be successful and make improvements.
So we set that alarm for dark o’clock and tell ourselves we’re going to get up and have an early morning run and really do the thing.
Then when that thing starts blaring in the morning, what do we do?
Snooze.
Snooze again.
Cuddle dog.
Snooze.
Then all of a sudden… you no longer have time to run.
Which leads to that sense of failure.
I mean… we should be able to figure this out, right?
If you just had more discipline and got up when the alarm went off, you’d be able to get outside and actually get in some miles.
I mean, it’s just 5 am.
Lots of people do it.
You should be able to wake up and get out there.
You should be able to stay consistent.
So you start focusing all of your energy on why you can’t stay consistent and what’s wrong with you.
You shouldn’t need someone else to hold your hand through this.
So you double down on trying harder.
You move your alarm across the room and start getting your gear ready the night before so it’s easier to autopilot yourself out the door in the morning.
And hey, it works for a while.
You string together a couple weeks of early morning runs and even start seeing a little progress.
But damn are you tired.
And everybody else in your house is pretty pissed about the alarm-across-the-room-at-5am thing because come on… they don’t want to hear that…
The bed is warm.
The pillow is soft.
Which leads to the thought of… maybe I’m just not cut out to do this thing.
Once again, we’re focusing energy on all the stuff we can’t do.
And this is a fundamental flaw in how we perceive training.
Largely because this is the predominant message everywhere you turn.
The problem-based focus. The can’t-based focus.
YOU are the problem. YOU need to be fixed.
When you hear it enough, it’s only natural to start to believe it.
Which leads to trying to fix yourself by focusing on all the problems and trying to become the person you watch on the internet.
Which leads to feeling like a failure and wondering why you have to upend your entire life just to get a little better at this running thing.
Which leads to you asking…
Is it even worth it?
If you want my opinion – probably not.
At least not if you’re going to do it like that.
Because it doesn’t have to be that way.
Instead of trying to jam yourself into this box that gets clicks and views on the internet, how about we zoom out and realize we’re focusing on the wrong stuff?
It’s not that you “know what to do” and aren’t doing it.
It’s that what you think you need to do is a road destined for failure.
You think you have to wake up at 5 am and run in the cold and give up all your other activities.
Reality is… we just have to create a training plan that fits our lives.
Yes, you’ll probably have to give up some stuff here and there – but it doesn’t necessarily have to be precious sleep time and the sanity of your entire household.
You think you should be able to figure this out because you think it’s a discipline issue.
You listened to a Goggins book and watched a bunch of motivational clips on your socials and decided you were going to start slamming your head into the wall until progress happened.
But let me tell you…
There are better ways to take down a wall.
It’s not a discipline issue.
You don’t just need to keep slamming.
It’s a method issue.
You need a sledgehammer.
You’re trying to solve the wrong problem.
It’s not a matter of waking up at 5 am and running through the darkness.
It’s not a matter of holding yourself accountable.
You need a method that fits your lifestyle and you need to be able to adjust that method as shit comes up.
Stop focusing on what you can’t do.
Start focusing on what you can.
It just doesn’t have to be this frustrating.
I’ve done things the hard way and I’ve had all the same thoughts about how I wasn’t good enough and I just needed more discipline and how I just needed to move my alarm a little farther away…
And sure.
I made progress.
Until I didn’t.
Until I got hurt.
Until I drove the other people in my house crazy with a shitty, blaring alarm at 5 am.
There are other ways.
And the best method is going to be the one that helps maintain your love of whatever activity you’re looking to do.
Sometimes, you just have to make a decision. A decision that enough is enough and it’s time to move onto something different.
So make the decision to find what works for you.
As someone who’s helped hundreds of people get faster and stronger, I’ll tell you the best method is the one you’re going to keep doing.
Week in.
Week out.
Forever.
Or at the very least until your goals and priorities change.
You need the method that doesn’t make you hate training or raise the ire of your entire household at way-too-early AM.
So if you’re tired of slamming your head into the wall and would like someone to hand you a sledgehammer…
Then hit reply.
I’d be happy to chat with you and see if I can help.
I’ll tell you, as someone who’s largely on the other side of all that, my only regret is that I wished I’d done it sooner.
I’d be in a much better place if I had.