How to Be Your Own Best Teammate

IT’S ENTIRELY TOO easy for people to criticize their own performance, and harder to be kind to themselves when they don’t have the race or run they’d hoped for.

- DANIELLE ZICKL

As the saying goes, we’re our own worst critics. Even when we do well, we sometimes tell ourselves it wasn’t the training plan that we dedicated months of our lives to following; it was luck. As runners—and humans—it can be hard to believe we’re deserving of success. And when we have that “off” run, we often default, unfortunately, to beating ourselves up over the fact that we could have worked harder.

Over time, being too harsh on yourself can lead to lack of motivation, burnout, and even feeling resentful toward other runners. Here are three tips to help you become more compassionate with yourself, stay motivated, and ultimately be your own best teammate.

Use positive self-talk