Ep#366 Why Progress Isn’t Linear

Welcome to the Not Your Average Runner podcast. If you’ve never felt athletic, but you still dream about becoming a runner, you are in the right place. I’m Jill Angie, and I help fat women over 40 to start running, feel confident and change their lives. I have worked with thousands of women to help them achieve their running goals.

And now I want to help you.

Hey there, runner! Welcome to another episode of the Not Your Average Runner podcast, the show that is here to get you running safely and confidently, no matter your size.

I’m Jill Angie, your coach and running BFF, and today’s warm up topic is something that almost everybody struggles with, and that is making progress and why it seems like it’s always two steps forward one step back. I know you can relate to this.

So as always you start walking, I’ll start talking and we’re gonna dive into this topic. Okay, so first things first, if you’re anything like me there have probably been times in your running journey where you thought I’m doing everything right. So why am I not seeing any improvement? And maybe like one week you feel unstoppable you’re going faster, farther than ever before and the next week it feels like you are walking through Jello. Right?

This experience is totally normal. Trust me. You’re not alone. Great example -last week I ran a 5k. I did the fastest mile I’ve run in a few years, and I was so pumped. I’m like, wow, I’ve just, I’ve really been working on this and it’s paying off. And then like three days later I went for a run, and it felt like there were sandbags tied to my ankles and I’m like, what is up?

Why did I feel like I was floating on air a few days ago, and now it feels terrible? But the truth is that progress just doesn’t follow a straight line. And honestly, I should know this probably why I decided to record this podcast because I needed to hear it too. But seriously, we all think that progress starts you know, in one spot and it just a straight line up into the sky and we just get better with every single run.

That’s not how it works. It is often more like a squiggly line. It’s got lots of ups and downs. Sometimes it even loops backwards. Some days you’re going to feel like you’re making giant leaps forward. And other days it feels like you’re back at square one or maybe even before square one. But here’s the thing.

That doesn’t mean you’re not moving forward overall because the real secret to progress is about showing up consistently over time and not about being perfect every day or showing improvement every day. So, you know, we’ve talked about this a lot on this show, but there really are so many factors that affect your run, right?

There is your mood. How did you sleep? How are you stressed? The weather? How did you, how hydrated are you? What have you been eating for the past few days? Right? So, when things feel tough, it is not really a sign that you’re failing. It is simply a natural part of the process. And when you shift into thinking about it this way that like, oh, a shitty run is just part of the process. That means that it’s working, that I am a real runner and that, you know, that now I know that like I am making progress and there’s going to be great runs in the future.

Once you make that shift, it becomes a lot easier to deal with those hard runs, right? And while it can be frustrating to experience the downs, the ups and downs are helping you build resilience so every time you’re able to push through on a hard day, and that doesn’t mean push through at the risk of your you know getting an injury or your health and so forth, but I mean when I say push through I mean like let yourself feel frustrated and you know, give yourself some compassion and rest and take care of yourself.

But every time you do that, you’re learning more about yourself. You’re strengthening your commitment and you’re making progress. So, I want to remind you that every bad day and I’m putting bad in air quotes, right every bad day still counts as progress. It is easy to focus on the runs that feel smooth and strong and use those as evidence that you’re quote unquote getting better but the runs that challenge you the hard runs that you work through the are just as important if not more so because these are the days that make you stronger.

They make you more resilient overall. So, when you can show up on those tough days put in the effort that you’re able and recognize it’s part of the process, you’re building a skillset that’s going to help you keep moving forward even when the path isn’t smooth. You are teaching yourself to not just give up and say fuck it when things don’t go your way. So the next time you are in a running slump, I want you to remember that number one setbacks are part of the process.

If today’s run felt harder than last week’s, it doesn’t erase your project, progress. And number two, that consistency is the progress. So, setback. Okay, fine. But like still show up for yourself. So instead of focusing on perfection, think about consistency and commitment showing up even when it is hard.

Even when you want to quit even when you feel like a failure showing up is how you become a better runner progress is about the long game. Not just what happened today so when I’m feeling stuck, I like to reflect on how far I’ve come sometimes I think way back to almost 30 years ago when I first started running and the thoughts I had about my body were the thoughts I had about my abilities and what I believe about myself now.

So, I reflect on how far I’ve come mentally and then I reflect on how far I’ve come physically and even if it feels, you know, small, the progress that you’ve made, I still want you to recognize that you are not where you started. Okay? So, look back to the first time you went running – what it felt like then  – and recognize that you have come so far.

Okay. So those reminders of past wins, they help you realize that even with the ups and downs, you are still on a path. You are making progress. And maybe that progress doesn’t look the way you expected it to. But it is still progress. Okay. So, as you head into today’s run, keep in mind, progress isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up one run at a time, allowing yourself to embrace every step of the journey, linear or not. It’s still progress. All right, you’re out here showing up for yourself and that’s what matters most.

So my friends that is it for today. If you are loving the show, please don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review and now it’s time for you to start that interval timer and run and I will see you…I will talk to you next week

Real quick before you go. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, you have to check out my seven day jumpstart plan. It is a free downloadable guide that will teach you exactly how to start running safely and confidently in the body you have right now. Head on over to notyouraveragerunner.com/jumpstart to grab it.

That’s notyouraveragerunner.com/jumpstart. I’d love to be a part of your journey.