If you scroll through social media at the moment, your feed will be full of people being productive. If they’re not running a 10k PB, then they’re becoming fluent in Spanish or starting to grow asparagus in their garden. I hold my hands up, I’m also guilty of posting about my training, and there of course is nothing wrong with that.
But the fact that we have constant access to everyone else’s lives on our screens nowadays brings with it a very real issue… comparison. Yes it can be motivating to see other people moving forwards, but if you’re not in that place currently (which many many aren’t), it can be extremely disheartening too.
Comparing where you’re at with others will not help though. What will help if you’re looking to make progress is taking action. Work out what you need to do to improve and consistently chip away at that goal without worrying about the others and what they’re up to.
OR, if you don’t feel like now’s the time to push on, then simply don’t! Do what you’ve got to do to get through this challenging period. That may mean going for some easy paced runs round your local park with your favourite tunes. Or meeting a friend for a relaxed (socially distanced) run along some trails.
Things are tough enough at the moment without the added pressure of smashing PBs. Focus on you and enjoy your running above everything else. And remember, if social media becomes a little too much, there’s always that off switch!
