Truth time: Other than my immediate family and my two best friends (and obviously you guys), I haven’t talked about my upcoming marathon to anyone. I barely mention it to my roommates, although they know, and most of my friends and classmates don’t know at all. I feel like I talk about it 24/7 on the blog but in real life, it’s not something I share. For the first time last week I posted the image below on my personal Facebook account as part of a promotion for the race (I can get discounts to restaurants- ha). But even so, part of me was hesitant to post even that. I don’t like the attention and I don’t want it to seem like I’m bragging. I fully understand the over-sharing and bragging aspect of running and I never want to fall into that category. But I do want to share parts of my life with people I see regularly. Let me explain…
What I want to tell people is that I’m proud of myself. Regardless of the marathon being the NYC Marathon and all the hoopla surrounding it, I set my mind to something and put in the work. For more than 4 months I’ve sacrificed sleep, braved the Florida summer, tortured my feet, and pushed through mental roadblocks. I’ve somewhat balanced working two jobs, school and a few club commitments as well as training. Sure I’ll be proud of myself when I cross that finish line, but I’m proud of myself NOW. I know I very willingly put myself through training- in fact I paid $$$ for it- but that doesn’t take away from the effort I put in. When I say it all together like that, it 100% sounds like I’m bragging. Hence why I don’t tell people too often.
Crossing the finish line at the Disney Marathon
I feel like even when I just say “I’m running a marathon,” I get more defensive responses than supportive ones. Most of my friends knew about my first marathon and I remember the day I told them (excitedly!) that I just finished my 20 mile training run. I got a few “you’re crazy” comments and some “I hate running” ones as well. Others said turned it around and said things like “I wish I could do that,” or “you’re so good,” immediately making me feel guilty for sharing. But that just might be the nature of sharing personal achievements with people…their responses sometimes (unintentionally) diminish the sense of accomplishment. A 20 mile run is something to be proud of, but a condescending or sarcastic response dampens the mood, you know?
Not everyone likes running and not every runner wants to run a marathon…that’s perfectly OK. Let’s be real, running is not my “life” by any means. I have other things that I’m passionate about to keep me busy. By telling others about my training I do not intend to make them feel “guilty” to the least extent. It’s really not about running the marathon, it’s about celebrating the work I put in during the last four months! This can be applied to so many aspects of life, not just fitness. When you set a goal for yourself (personal, professional, health, etc.) and dedicate time and effort to achieving that goal, you deserve to celebrate!
Therefore, I’m selective in who I share my training with. My parents and sister are my obvious go-to’s, as are my two best friends from high school (I don’t see them often). My friends may not be runners, but they know how hard I’m working. I’ve really enjoyed sharing parts of my training on the blog and connecting with both runners and non-runners who are just supportive people :) But I sincerely hope I don’t come off as bragging.
Marathon countdown that my friend made me for the Disney Marathon
I do wish I could have shared my training with other people in my life, because it was a big part of my past four months. Seriously, I’m telling people I’m “going to NYC for the weekend,” and don’t mention the race unless they ask about the trip. Sometimes I want people to ask questions and give support, but running is something that has always been very personal for me. I’m not shooting for a specific time goal (more on that soon) and I’m not super fast. I don’t need to please anyone else with my running and no-one’s praise or support will trump the feeling of achieving a goal.
Countdown for this year’s race! Made my day when I got this in the mail :)
As someone who is an introvert, sharing in general is not my forte. But as I try to build deeper relationships with people I think talking about my personal goals and achievements is something that should be done. Plus, how do I explain *in a socially acceptable way* going to bed at 8:30 on a Friday night? ;)
Do you share your training with people?
How do you balance sharing without bragging in general?
I know what you mean. There are a lot of things I am proud about or things I achive in my fitness life that I share with no one at all. I really don’t even talk about my own personal training on my blog. It is weird and I feel like to many people start judging when you talk about fitness (even food). But keeping it impersonal is hard to (on yourself at least). But you have every damn right to be 110% so proud of yourself! Everything you are doing right now is awesome and you have the right to shout it to thr world if you want! Screw what anyone thinks ;) XOXO
Agreed! I feel like especially in college people can be quick to judge you, especially regarding fitness and food. But yes, it’s hard to be impersonal with people. When people ask me what I did over the weekend my normal response is “I had a long run and took it easy the rest of the day” but it never goes past that. Thank you for your continued support! xo
Girl you SHOULD feel proud of your training! A marathon is no joke! If I was running 18 or 20 miles on a Saturday morning, I would be excited to tell someone about it! You do not come across as bragging AT ALL.
Also, I love that picture of you crossing the finish in the Disney race. I wish I looked like I was happy rather than about to keel over in all of my race pics haha
Thank you so much! I’m glad my parents are early risers because I would excitedly call them on Saturday mornings after a long training run. Haha I swear that’s one of the only “ok” race pictures. I’m lucky if I get one good one per race. I’m glad this one was at the finish line!
Be proud! I think if people don’t want to hear about it then they are not my friend, haha. I try to keep the facebook posts and statuses not everyday and share a lot more on my blog/blog facebook page. It helps to have people who support you even if the race goes badly. It’s still awesome!
The support is so crucial during training and after the race! I’m lucky that my parents are runners so they can understand some of my emotions.
I totally get it. I felt pretty similar during my half marathon. I honestly didn’t talk about it much to my friends… I even remember thanking my mom and best guy friend for being the ones I COULD share my feelings about it with. It’s great that you have the blog/fitness community to share these goals and feelings with. You SHOULD be proud, girl! =) And okay, you can brag a little when it’s done ;) ;)
No lie, I sent my parents a gift and thank you note after my first marathon thanking them for their continued support. Sounds funny but really, like you, I was so lucky to have someone to share my feelings with. Haha after the race I might to a self-indulgent tweet or instagram ;)
I definitely get it! When coworkers find out I run marathons, I usually get some sort of response like “I hate running!”. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it encourages me to keep it to myself, for the most part.
But you deserve to be proud! I can barely train through a Michigan summer, I don’t think I could handle a Florida summer at all.
I completely agree! A few times of receiving negative responses have caused me to refrain from telling people. Yeah I wouldn’t recommend running outdoors during Florida summers. But I can guarantee you’ll break a good sweat ha!
I’ve come to realize that the people that matter the most will be those that are proud of you for your accomplishment and will realize that you’re not bragging by discussing your training or racing. I understand where you are coming from, though. None of my friends are runners. I actually started a running club just so I could have someone to talk to about running (other than my husband). When I talk about running, I usually gauge how interested someone is by how they respond to what I am saying. I’m not going to hide what I consider a huge part of my life and I would never want a friend or someone I care about to either. If you’re passionate about it….you should share it with the world regardless of what that passion is….running, building sculptures out of mashed potatoes, etc.
I started doing my weekend runs with the running club at my school for that same reason. It was nice to be surrounded by other “crazy” college kids running at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. I agree about your thoughts on passion and I find that I gravitate toward other people who are share their passions with the world. It shows something about their character I think.
I am such a talker and a sharer that I found it hard not to share with people in my life before I had a blog. But now that I have a blog and I can get all my thought “OUT THERE” I feel less inclined to tell I co-worker “I ran a race this weekend” when they ask how my weekend was. Not that that would be bragging or anything, it’s just like I feel like I say most of what I need to say on my blog. That being said, a lot of my coworkers read my blog so now they already know what I did on the weekend ahhaha.
Hahaha I think this blog is the perfect outlet to release all of my “running talk.” I’m almost positive none of my friends/colleagues read here so I’m in the clear for now :)