Competing against myself

"I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me." -- WILMA RUDOLPH

I have a terrible time with comparing myself to other people. I find it difficult to resist the temptation, even when it is completely illogical. When I first started running the biggest struggle I had was not with the physical challenges of running, but with the mental frustration of not being able to run fast or far like I thought that I should be able. Slowly I've begun to learn that I really am only competing against myself every time that I lace up my shoes, and that has made a world of difference. My competitive fire keeps me constantly striving to do better than I did the last time, but the realization that the only person I'm competing with is myself has allowed me to experience happiness in all of my accomplishments - even if my "accomplishment" would be someone else's "slow" run.