The 5 fears of the aspiring runner and how to overcome them

There is a very deep-rooted belief about physical activity run: it seems that it is easy. You don’t need much to run: a pair of running shoes, shorts, a stopwatch on your wrist. What does it take? So why do many people who want to get started don’t? Because in reality, like all sports, even running has its rules, his training plans, and requires proper nutrition and adequate physical preparation. Nothing impromptu.

Run (for those who already practice it) or want to start doing it it can be scary. «What is fear for a runner? I would say that fear, in athletics in particular, but also in sport in general, can take many forms: fear of winning, fear of not making it, anxiety, stress, inability to manage time and much more”. To affirm this disarming truth is Max Monteforteformer professional athlete and now national coach of the Carabinieri Sports Center, author of the book From zero to runner. Learn to run step by steppublished by Città Nuova, in all bookstores.

“What does fear entail for a runner? Generally, results below expectations, but also dissatisfaction and a general feeling of malaise. And it’s a shame because running is a gesture that allows us to acquire a new awareness, both physical and mental – he adds – After a breakneck ride, the world seems a little better and people a little happier».

So is it wrong to be afraid? “No, fear, for those who run, is not and must not be a limit, On the contrary. Fear is an absolutely physiological sensation, an emotion of real defense and necessary to grow and improve. To do this, to overcome it and achieve the results we have set for ourselves, fear should not be feared”.

But what are the fears of the neophyte or aspiring runner? Max Monteforte lists them in his book, after having personally tried and overcome them. We propose them to you below, reminding you that «the only mistake we really shouldn’t make with fear when we run is to fear it and try to get around it. There is no shortcut to fear, you have to overcome it by working daily, taking one step at a time, listening to the advice of those with more experience, trying and trying again, and maybe making mistakes. Calmly and balanced.”

I’m afraid to start

Getting off the couch to go for a run the first time means change your lifestyle. So, here are the excuses we tell ourselves to keep loitering: “I’m not a kid anymore!” or “But I can’t climb the stairs without being out of breath, how can I run a marathon?”, among the most common. But the real reason is the worry of losing control of oneself and one’s comfort zone. But is not so: take the first step to go towards what we desire means half the way already.

What if I don’t have time?

“What if I don’t have time for constant training?” or “And if I have no more time to devote to anything else?”: the frenetic world in which we live leads us to think that we never have time at our disposal. So, he learns to organize time: put your priorities in order, eliminate the “fake” ones. Did you free up some space? Well, now take action and dedicate yourself to what you really like.

What if I’m not capable?

It’s like when you start a diet: a credible goal must be set for one’s real possibilities. Then you have to believe in yourself. Having a realistic goal and reaching it after working so hard fuels self-esteem, failing a goal after working because the goal was objectively unrealistic causes self-esteem to drop. We must start by recognizing one’s own qualities – the innate ones, but also those matured in the “field” of life. Then, from there, one step at a time, try to work to improve them. Only in this way will we be able to surprise ourselves, discovering that the horizon is not a limit, but a possibility.

I’m not as good as “the others”

We are unique, each with their own qualities and limitations. There will always be a runner with qualities superior to ours, faster, more explosive, lighter than us. As in life, also in sport showing emotion is not a sign of weakness. Fearing the judgment of others means living in fear. And above all, it is essential to learn to discern: which criticisms will really help me grow? Which ones are ends in themselves? In sports, the opponentwho could also be our closest friend and trusted training partner, is not someone to be feared, but one who it helps us to find all the physical and mental energy we need to develop our talent to the fullest. So it is also in life.

What if I can’t?

You have set goals, more or less big. Well, however performing you may be, you will go through moments in which all the objectives will seem within your reach and other moments in which nothing will succeed, not even what seemed simple to you just before. Moments don’t exist, Captain, they are natural. Failure is part of the journey. The difference between those who, in the midst of difficulties, let themselves go and those who continue to mature it’s all in the attitude: govern the fear of failure and use it to inflate your sails, sailing with the wind at your back, and to bring out the hidden energies you need to overcome the difficulty.

Linus: «Work out and don’t make food an obsession. Hunger takes its revenge: more gratification is better than less »

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