[+] "But I'm actually faster." – "Yeah, then why didn't you run faster?"

How Negative Self-Talk Holds You Back

"But I'm actually faster."

I have often heard this sentence when I ask someone how their race went. This justification comes almost in the same breath as the finish time, as if the two statements had grown together. As a listener, you no longer have the chance to express your own thoughts. You are steered in one direction from the outset, namely to say:

"Oh well, that's a great result".

The answer that is always on my lips in a situation like this is a different one:

"Yeah, then why didn't you run faster?"

I usually refrain from saying this because I have the feeling that my counterpart is in an inner conflict. Their performance doesn't seem to match their self-perception as a running person. But are race results really what defines us as runners?

(Photo: Stephan Wieser)