All week over on my Facebook page we have been discussing how comparison can steal the joy you once found in running. And the crazy thing is that it will creep in before you realize it’s happened. For many of us runners, our training runs become our escape, our endorphins fix. Then we discover races and setting goals to complete and/or compete in them.

The races bring another level of fun excitement to our running until…well until we get caught up in comparing ourselves to others or even comparing ourselves to our own past performances. Sometimes we get so consumed by our own running goals that preparing for that next race becomes more of an obligation than fun. Especially those long races that have expensive registration fees and require travel and lodging reservations and expenses that might not be refundable.

Here’s the deal, there is nothing wrong with being super competitive or running lots for endurance races with friends or having PR goals. The problems arise when it becomes consuming and you find yourself critical of your own performance, pushing yourself to train at levels that your not ready for yet, or training when your body is sending you all kinds of signals that it needs a break!

Let me encourage you today to not lose the joy you get from running. And if you’ve crossed that line, then tune in and learned to silence that negative self talk. Take a break if you need to even if its just a break from racing. Go run just to run. Leave your running watch or Garmin at home. Stop and take pictures or just enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. Run because you want to, not because you have to!

Have you struggled with comparison to others or your own past performances? Has running ever felt like an obligation to you? If so, how did you handle it? Leave a comment below or come join the discussion over on my Facebook page.