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Hi Reader,

This morning I joined the Beban Parkrun again. My friend couldn’t make it this week, so I was prepared to run on my own, go slowly, and really try to stay within my heart rate zones to build more stamina.

Which currently means quite a bit more walking than jogging 😏

And let me tell you, sticking to those zones while people are happily running past you is harder than it sounds. But anyway, that’s not actually what this story is about.

At some point, while I was walking and waiting for my heart rate to come down, a lady passed me and apologized for breathing so heavily.

My god, she obviously hadn’t heard me yet 🤣

Just around that time, my heart rate was low enough to start jogging again, and her pace worked perfectly for me. Now, I was quite happily minding my own business and NOT talking because a) I was trying to keep my heart rate under control and b) I didn’t really feel like talking.

Apparently, she did 😆

She started telling me that she’d only picked up running again seven months ago, that she was deliberately taking it slowly and running at her own pace. She didn’t compare herself to other runners, wasn’t interested in anyone else’s pace, sometimes she walked, sometimes she jogged, slow and steady was the way to go… and she gave me plenty of well-meant tips along the way.

Meanwhile, I was chuckling.

Because while she was explaining how she didn’t compare herself to other people and was perfectly happy running at her own pace, she was doing exactly what she said she wasn’t doing.

She was justifying her pace.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the pace she was running. Heck, I was barely hanging on next to her 🤣

But instead of simply acknowledging, “This is where I’m at right now,” there seemed to be this need to explain something that really didn't need any explanation at all.

And isn’t that something we all do sometimes?

We justify why we’re not further ahead yet. Why something is taking longer than expected. Why we’ve changed direction, why we haven’t achieved something yet, why we’re doing something differently from everyone around us. When maybe there is nothing to justify.

Maybe it can simply be: This is where I’m at right now.

Eventually, my heart rate climbed again, and I happily used that as my escape route. “Sorry, my heart rate is getting too high. I need to walk.”

Was it true? Absolutely.

Was I also quite happy to have an excuse to stop running next to her? Yes 🤣

Her intentions were lovely, her advice was well meant, and she probably had no idea that I was having a completely different conversation inside my own head.

Because, of course, my next thought was… Oh damn. Where do I do this?

Where am I justifying something instead of simply acknowledging where I am, what I want, or what I’ve decided?

I don’t actually know yet. Which probably means there are a few places where I’m doing it without realizing it.

So, to my friends reading this: if you ever catch me doing exactly that, please point it out 😆

I’ll probably roll my eyes first, then have a little insight laugh and admit you’re right.

Oh, and my attempt to carefully manage my heart rate and improve my Parkrun? I recorded my worst time yet. Must have been all that talking 🤣

Chat soon (and I promise it will be about something other than jogging 🫣),
Peggy 🌿

P.S. Where might you be justifying something that you could simply acknowledge instead?

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