Fear, Doubt and Worry

By: Phil Kriss 
Kriss Chiropractic 

​Our greatest enemy of a great race.

Have you heard of marathon leg? It is what happens when you train for months for some big event. Three weeks before the event you are walking across the Winco parking lot to get fresh donuts after a run and SNAP! Suddenly you get a sharp pain in your calf.

For the next two weeks you do everything between self-over-medicating, wrapping yourself up in rock tape until you look like a mummy, and changing the purchase from donuts to ice for your leg.

On the last few runs before the race you are hobbling along telling your buddies why you can’t run. “It’s my leg” you say.

Toeing the line someone asks you how you think you will do. “Really bad. I have no expectations. It’s my leg. I really screwed it up a few weeks ago” while you show off the new tape job.

Off you go running with all the concerns, fearing the worst possible outcome.

After a while you get in the groove of the race and focus on what you need to take care of and what happens next. Then you cross the finish line, usually about as fast as you thought you would, given the fact most of us brag to much and overestimate our abilities.

Then someone asks you, “how did your leg do?” Then you remember you forgot all about it and it was not a factor at all!

What just happened?

A classic case of Marathon Leg. Some people have marathon belly. That means they put on too much weight so they can’t run as fast. Or marathon age. Or worse yet, marathon brain, where you are pretty darn sure you don’t want to do one of those anymore.

What really happened is fear and doubt take over. If left unchecked it can run rampant and ruin even the best day. We can be our own worst enemy.

Examples of fear and doubt statements that pop up into our thoughts

• It hurts too bad
• I’m too heavy
• People will laugh at me
• I don’t have enough time to train
• My genetic make up wont’ allow me to do that

The list certainly is not all inclusive.

Here is the fact we should tell ourselves:

• So what?

Any of those facts may be true, but that is not a good enough reason to hold you back from accomplishing your dreams.

I used to complain about a constant nonstop pain in my calf. A good reason to not run fast until I got passed up by someone with no leg at all. Excuse buster!

At the end of the day, most people won’t give a hoot about how fast or slow you are. Those who love you will support you no matter how you do.

You probably know the things you would love to do before your party is over. Go do them! Don’t’ let anybody wreck your dreams.  Especially you.

---