Modern technology and social media provide us with infinite opportunities to connect and learn, but they also allow constant comparison. The saying “comparison is the thief of joy” is all too familiar to me. As a type A, perfectionist, goal-oriented person, I always want to be working the hardest, doing the most, and striving for my best. When I have access to the training logs, workout analyses, and weekly recaps of my competitors, it’s hard to focus on my own path. Knowing that there are people putting in more miles or hours than me hurts; I want to be doing everything I can to be competitive, so this comparison further sparks the urge to train more.
I have to constantly remind myself that humans aren’t simple machines, so there is no one equation for fitness. We are incredibly complex, and each athlete responds differently to a variety of training stimuli. For this reason, two people could do the exact same training, live the same lifestyle, sleep the same amount of hours, and eat the same diet…yet have different results. The obsession with comparing training regimes takes the focus away from the truth: each athlete must find their own sustainable training program.
Over the years, I have tried many training methods with differences in volume, intensity, duration, frequency, and type of exercise. Throughout those years, I also took note of how my body responded. Through these notes, I’ve realized what training leads to better fitness, what causes injury and burnout, and how to ride that fine line. The small space between fitness and injury is different for me than anyone else, but what matters is that it works for me. Comparing myself to other elite runners will inevitably lead to frustration or feelings of inadequacy. I will always wish that I could do more, but I’ve found what works and now I just need to trust it. Watch the video below to see my training schedule and learn more about my philosophy.
