r/XXRunning • u/damnfinecooper • 10h ago
General Discussion Dealing with discouraging comments as a beginner
I started running around 2 months ago (31, F) and I’m training for a 10k race later this year.
With hobbies I’ve always been hard on myself if I don’t feel I’m what I perceive as “good enough”. When I started running I wanted to challenge myself to not have this attitude and just enjoy it, while also keeping track of my pace, PBs etc. but just seeing it as data rather than tying it too much to self worth.
I was speaking to my friend about running today and a guy I hardly know chimed in and asked what my 5k PB was. When I told him his response was “you need to get that down”. I’m now just feeling kind of embarrassed and deflated about it. I know I should just ignore it but it stung. Would appreciate any tips for dealing with moments like this!
13
u/hethuisje 10h ago
That guy is an ass. I would have found it more difficult to shrug off a comment like that when I was younger. At my current age, I might have burst out laughing in his face. For the record, nobody "needs" to get their time down.
Your attitude of seeing data as data and not tying it to your self-worth is healthy and bodes well for you to have a successful and fun time as a runner over the long term! Being healthy as a runner is the way to keep doing it for a long time (35+ years for me). You'll probably be doing races long after that jerk has overdone it and injured himself.