Managing Setbacks
that’s runnable
The 8th Edition of your favourite weekly running newsletter
Welcome back to your weekly dose of run chat.
A quick read of insightful tips and thoughts to help you with your running.
Running’s great… when it’s great. But what about when it’s not? What about when we get injured or we DNF on a race we worked for months preparing for? Well, this week, I thought we’d chat about when things don’t go to plan.
Something to Think About
Setbacks are inevitable. Although there’s a tonne of stuff you can do to avoid them in your training, unfortunately, injuries, DNFs, DNSs, or any other setbacks from life are an inevitable part of being a runner, and being a person. Try and reframe how you think about a setback. Each offers a great opportunity to learn more about yourself, your body, and your training. The challenge to overcome them is a gift and something that, if approached with the right mindset, can teach you a great amount.
Something to Ask Yourself
How are you thinking about the challenge that you’ve been presented with? Are you feeling sorry for yourself? Are you blaming others or cursing this “cruel, unfair world”? Or are you looking at what can be done to overcome it?
Maintaining a positive outlook is a key part of taking the right action and overcoming setbacks. Try and focus on the solution, rather than being blinded by the problem.
Article of the Week 📄
This article from Nike offers tips for overcoming running setbacks, emphasising mental resilience and flexibility. You can learn how to adjust expectations, maintain motivation, and celebrate small victories while dealing with unexpected challenges in your running routine. It advises against an all-or-nothing mindset and highlights the importance of self-compassion and long-term goal focus.
Track of the Week
Now the sun’s finally showing face here in the UK, here’s a great summer banger for you. This week’s Track of the Week is:
Diamonds by Lane 8 (feat. Solomon Grey (2015)
Personal Lesson
I’ve had my fair share of running injuries. Whether it’s a knee issue, a pulled hammy, a sprained ankle, or tendonitis, I’ve been there.
The biggest setback of my running career so far happened in July last year. I’d bagged a place in UTMB and was on track to run one of my dream races! Everything was going so well, and I had a B-race lined up a few months before the big day, and comparatively is should’ve been an “easy” race.
I did the race, a 100K in my home ends of Wiltshire, and four days after finishing, I couldn’t spring off my left foot. I’d picked up severe tendonitis in my Tibialis Posterior. It wreaked havoc on my training, and a couple of months after picking up the injury, I ultimately had to decide to pull out of UTMB. It took me 8 months to fully recover from that injury.
During that time, I struggled. But I learned so much about my body, myself, and how to ensure I was getting the strength training in so it never happened again. Now, a year later, I’m grateful for the lessons learned, and can confidently say I’m a stronger, wiser, and more grateful athlete.
Running - Life’s Metaphor
We will all face setbacks on the journey towards what we want. They can’t be completely avoided. It’s part of the process. It’s not about whether we face them, but how we respond to them.
“Our ability to respond positively to setbacks, fuels our creativity and lays the foundation for future successes.” - Stacy Allison (the first woman to summit Mt Everest).
Final Thoughts
If you’re currently dealing with something that’s making everything hard, be grateful. Think about what it’s teaching you. We learn very little from the good times. I always think of the famous phrase, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.
It’s not easy to deal with these things, in fact, it sucks. Don’t worry if you’re struggling, it’s the struggle that leads to growth. If you found it easy, it wouldn’t be teaching you much. Just thinking about it more positively might make it a little easier, but it will still be hard. But the very fact it’s hard is a good thing.
The main purpose of seeing your setbacks through a more positive lens, is to encourage action. When you complain about the problem you’re facing, ask yourself the seemingly brutal question “what are you going to do about it?”
If you think you’ve done everything you can, you might be wrong. I’ve seen insane comebacks from life changing setbacks from people. I’m inspired by these people, and so should you be. It might take longer than you would hope, it might require more patience and hard work than is desirable, but I believe there is always a way through the hardship you’re facing.
Is it not better to live believing you can, than believing you can’t?
Thanks again for reading and subscribing.
Run the runnable, and keep showing up for yourself!
Tommy :)
