The Art of Comparison
This topic has been on my mind since I started this blog. It's taken me a while to formulate the words I want to say because this is SUCH an important topic and it's become more important in today's society than ever before. We all know why we compare - Instagram, right? I never feel more left out than during Spring Break when what seems like all of Central Wisconsin manages to dig up money to take their families on these two week long Spring Break extravaganzas. I am flooded with beaches, sunshine, smiles and big hats as I take on a 16 mile long run in the thick of marathon training surrounded by cold weather and a surprise snow storm.
I digress.
This isn't about my lack of vacationing. This is about comparison in all areas of our lives - both running and not running related. I've always been kind of an odd ball. I embrace it now but constantly being reminded of being different was and still is challenging. I took 6 years to go through undergrad, I was with a person for 7 years before getting married, I'm not a homeowner and I don't have children. I am reminded of these things almost daily and used to think that I was "missing out" or "not successful" because I didn't have these things. In my adult life I have come to find that those aren't the things that automatically make people happy or fix all of their problems and that what works for other people might not work for me. I came to these conclusions as an adult however I can't imagine how difficult it might be for teenagers to go through this process while being bombarded with posts invoking many insecurities and feelings of missing out.
This art of comparison also applies to those who are beginning or currently on their running journey. I'm as guilty as the next person and I know better! Comparing easy pace, race times, weight and muscle content isn't fair to yourself. You might find yourself comparing to someone who runs a similar 5k time as you and wondering why your marathon time is significantly slower than theirs. You might run the same mileage as someone, run similar paces and they might weigh less than you with an impressive muscle content. The truth is that we can't know exactly what someone else is going through in their lives, what their training is like or what they eat. I recently reached out to a former student on her Instagram story about her posting a run. She used to run varsity in high school and now is struggling to throw together 3 miles at 10 minute pace. I let her know I've been there (you have to restart somewhere) riding the struggle bus and to keep up the great work. She responded with something along the lines of how great my life seems and that she was happy for me.
Oops.
I'm guilty of this too! We only post what we want others to see. I try really hard to be completely transparent in my Instagram posts but I guess I did a good job of hiding the most stressful year I've ever had. That's not to say I haven't had good times but that tells me that I ONLY shared the good times and not the bad.You never know what is hiding behind someone's #livingmybestlife post. You never know how many pictures they took before posting the perfect one or how many times they stopped their watch along their easy run. Who knows how many filters they went through or how they twisted their body in the perfect silhouette. Stop comparing and be your own amazing self, in your own body and at your own pace.
www.runwithcoachfischer.com
I digress.
This isn't about my lack of vacationing. This is about comparison in all areas of our lives - both running and not running related. I've always been kind of an odd ball. I embrace it now but constantly being reminded of being different was and still is challenging. I took 6 years to go through undergrad, I was with a person for 7 years before getting married, I'm not a homeowner and I don't have children. I am reminded of these things almost daily and used to think that I was "missing out" or "not successful" because I didn't have these things. In my adult life I have come to find that those aren't the things that automatically make people happy or fix all of their problems and that what works for other people might not work for me. I came to these conclusions as an adult however I can't imagine how difficult it might be for teenagers to go through this process while being bombarded with posts invoking many insecurities and feelings of missing out.
This art of comparison also applies to those who are beginning or currently on their running journey. I'm as guilty as the next person and I know better! Comparing easy pace, race times, weight and muscle content isn't fair to yourself. You might find yourself comparing to someone who runs a similar 5k time as you and wondering why your marathon time is significantly slower than theirs. You might run the same mileage as someone, run similar paces and they might weigh less than you with an impressive muscle content. The truth is that we can't know exactly what someone else is going through in their lives, what their training is like or what they eat. I recently reached out to a former student on her Instagram story about her posting a run. She used to run varsity in high school and now is struggling to throw together 3 miles at 10 minute pace. I let her know I've been there (you have to restart somewhere) riding the struggle bus and to keep up the great work. She responded with something along the lines of how great my life seems and that she was happy for me.
Oops.
I'm guilty of this too! We only post what we want others to see. I try really hard to be completely transparent in my Instagram posts but I guess I did a good job of hiding the most stressful year I've ever had. That's not to say I haven't had good times but that tells me that I ONLY shared the good times and not the bad.You never know what is hiding behind someone's #livingmybestlife post. You never know how many pictures they took before posting the perfect one or how many times they stopped their watch along their easy run. Who knows how many filters they went through or how they twisted their body in the perfect silhouette. Stop comparing and be your own amazing self, in your own body and at your own pace.
www.runwithcoachfischer.com
Loving your blog!!! Keep writing!!!!
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