This is how I hold myself accountable during training. Some people will tell you to smile, grit your teeth and be a "good sport." I'm not here to suggest you to do that. Instead, I'd prefer for you to be honest about what's surfacing during your training. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the distance? Having a hard time getting out of the door? Encounter fitness anxiety prior to starting (yes this exists because I have this)? Do you feel the need to use the bathroom 4 times before leaving? All of these feelings are valid. I learned how to grovel about it through my entire process. If it sounds negative, that's your perspective but hear me out: If I don't try, then I possibly gave up on myself. If I smile through something and suppressed my feelings, all I am doing is adding fraudulent emotions to something that can build up frustration over time. I don't believe in gaslighting myself through something that I'm training for. Mental grit can look like silently stomping your way to your sneakers and lacing up. It can also look like being honest in your self talk, getting your frustrations out to give yourself permission to have a good run. This might infuriate the "running is my therapy" crowd but sometimes we go to "therapy" with ALL of our frustrations and no guarantees that we'll feel better. But when it's out there, isn't it nice to detox it? This ramble is to say that if you find yourself one day, one month or one year being an angry runner, it is damn okay. All of your training runs might not be frustrating but you don't have to smile through all of them too. Today's a great day to be kind to your inner dialogue while challenging your physical body. If we're just a tad bit more honest with our commentary about sports and training, perhaps more of us will find permission within ourselves to smile. Just a thought.#runningfatchef #fatrunner #hoka #timetofly #flyhumanfly #plussizeathlete #nycmarathontraining #marathontraining #plussizerunner #icandohardthings #keepshowingup #venting #runnerproblems #tapering #slowrunner #slowaf #runtok #fittok #fitnesstok #fitandfat #runnertok #slowrunnertiktok #marathontok