There’s something wrong with me. Something I need to fix ASAP. I’ve come a long way over the past 7 months, but I’ve forgotten that. Seven months ago I was lying in bed suffering from a severe herniated disc that left me unable to do more than watch movies and read books about running. I wasn’t even able to walk to the kitchen without being heavily doped up on vicodin. Yet even now, after being able to walk again and even do some running, I too often find myself feeling badly that I can’t do more.
Take last night for example. I went for a 4.25 mile walk/run with an elevation gain close to 900 feet in the hills behind Loma Linda, CA. I walked the up-hills and ran most of the down-hills. I was out there running – doing what I had only been able to dream about for so many months. Yet all I found myself thinking about when I got home was that my average pace was way higher than I would like. That my mileage was not enough. And how that guy just blew by me running uphill!
When I got home and took another half pill of vicodin, I was reminded of all the progress I’ve made. I pictured myself lying in bed reading about the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and trying to imagine what it would be like to finally run the trails again. At that point, all I could do was lie on ice packs, take vicodin (a lot more), and dream. Now I’m actually living out the first steps of those dreams. So why am I not feeling like I’m making good progress? It’s true that I’ve got a long way to go still, but there’s no need to dwell on that in harm of forgetting how far I’ve already come.
The truth is we too easily forgot our accomplishments. While it’s important that we have visions for where we want to go and a drive to push towards it, it’s equally important that we remember the two other time dimensions: where we are, the present, and where we’ve come from, the past. We need to pause from time to time and reflect on just how far we’ve come. And celebrate!
Don’t let yourself slip into Achievement Amnesia. Stop and look at what you’ve already accomplished.
I find that running logs are a great antidote for Achievement Amnesia. And conversely they are also a great reality check to combat that equally insidious condition, Achievement Euphoria :)
http://www.runningquest.net Clynton
Well said! I need to go back and compare my Garmin data.
AQ
I find that running logs are a great antidote for Achievement Amnesia. And conversely they are also a great reality check to combat that equally insidious condition, Achievement Euphoria :)
http://www.runningquest.net Clynton
Well said! I need to go back and compare my Garmin data.
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I’ve Got Achievement Amnesia
There’s something wrong with me. Something I need to fix ASAP. I’ve come a long way over the past 7 months, but I’ve forgotten that. Seven months ago I was lying in bed suffering from a severe herniated disc that left me unable to do more than watch movies and read books about running. I wasn’t even able to walk to the kitchen without being heavily doped up on vicodin. Yet even now, after being able to walk again and even do some running, I too often find myself feeling badly that I can’t do more.
Take last night for example. I went for a 4.25 mile walk/run with an elevation gain close to 900 feet in the hills behind Loma Linda, CA. I walked the up-hills and ran most of the down-hills. I was out t
here running – doing what I had only been able to dream about for so many months. Yet all I found myself thinking about when I got home was that my average pace was way higher than I would like. That my mileage was not enough. And how that guy just blew by me running uphill!
When I got home and took another half pill of vicodin, I was reminded of all the progress I’ve made. I pictured myself lying in bed reading about the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and trying to imagine what it would be like to finally run the trails again. At that point, all I could do was lie on ice packs, take vicodin (a lot more), and dream. Now I’m actually living out the first steps of those dreams. So why am I not feeling like I’m making good progress? It’s true that I’ve got a long way to go still, but there’s no need to dwell on that in harm of forgetting how far I’ve already come.
The truth is we too easily forgot our accomplishments. While it’s important that we have visions for where we want to go and a drive to push towards it, it’s equally important that we remember the two other time dimensions: where we are, the present, and where we’ve come from, the past. We need to pause from time to time and reflect on just how far we’ve come. And celebrate!
Don’t let yourself slip into Achievement Amnesia. Stop and look at what you’ve already accomplished.