This year, I made a mindset shift that profoundly impacted my running and life.

Working with a coach comes with the benefit of having structured workouts, each with specific pace goals. Sometimes, these goals apply to the entire run; other times, my workouts are broken down into segments, each with its own target pace.

Last year, I struggled to hit my pace goals. Workout after workout, I fell short, frustrating me to no end. Sometimes I wondered, “What’s the point of running if I can’t execute my workouts correctly?” It felt like I needed to hit those targets occasionally, at least, to keep my motivation alive.

This year hasn’t been much different in reaching those pace goals, but something inside me changed. Early on, I decided that instead of letting my watch’s reminder that I was running too slowly demoralize me, I would shift my thinking. Instead of, “I’m not going to make it,” I started telling myself, “Let’s see how close I can get.” This simple change in perspective has transformed my approach to running. It’s infused me with a relentless drive, pushing me to keep going even when I might fall short. I believe it’s also why I’ve recorded so many third or second-best times in my 5km, 10km, and 21km runs this year. In each of those runs, there was a moment when I realised I wouldn’t meet my goal, but because I was focused on getting as close as possible, quitting was never an option.

So, what has this mindset shift given me?

It’s given me a renewed outlook on my workouts and a sense of resilience I didn’t have before. I no longer feel disheartened when I miss a goal. Instead, I’m energized by how much closer I’m getting. While I am slightly disappointed when I miss a personal best by a few seconds, I’ve also had more reasons to celebrate this year. This shift in mindset has led to consistent improvement and a deeper appreciation for the journey itself.

How can you apply my mindset change to your life?