Running

#WhatWouldiDo

Posted timothyallenolson

It’s a thing: what would i do. #wwid 😉

By wwid, I mean, take ownership for yourself and stop worrying about what other people are doing. Make the best choice and think “what would i do”.

Sometimes it’s hard to take responsibility for yourself. You feel as if you don’t know the correct path, but if you listen, silently to yourself, you would realize you know exactly what to do. Be patient, be mindful, take a deep breath and listen. You are wiser than you give yourself credit.

I have people ask me questions on how they should eat, train and race. I love giving my opinions, but I am not an expert on what will work best for you. I think it is wise to hear other people’s opinions and see if they work into your lifestyle or maybe an idea you have not thought of. Please keep the questions coming; I am happy to help.

Why I bring this up, is because I was dealing with a bum knee after my last 100 mile run. I had ambitions of running another 100 this year and to run the TNF 50 this coming weekend. My knee did not heal itself until just a few weeks ago, which has made it difficult to do the races I would have liked.

The body is smart and it is wise to listen. I see many people including myself push their bodies just a wee too much, resulting in injuries that take months or longer to get back. I would love to see less people get injured and enjoy the activities they love.

So instead of following what this person or that person is doing, listen to your body, experiment and see what works best for you. Maybe a paleo diet or fruit diet or running 200 miles a week works for some people, but before you decide to follow what so and so does, check in with yourself and listen to yourself. I think it’s great to get pointers from people who have had positive outcomes from ideas they have researched and tried out. But before you decide that’s how you are going to improve in your sport or health make sure it’s not giving you negative results.

I wanted to push myself back into shape and race this coming weekend. I decided to check in with myself and realized my body needed more rest. I’m definitely bummed I’m not going to be at the starting line for a super competitive race, but I run for true happiness, to feel alive and there is many more chances to race.

Instead I will be going for a run with my wife, not worrying about time, but living in the moment and enjoying the day. I’m excited to still take part in The North Face event, running the 50k and still getting to celebrate the day with all of my ultra running family. It will be a pleasure to enjoy the trails with you all.

My hope is that people can become more conscious, mindful and body aware. The more you understand what works for you the more you can enjoy life and be happy! Lets all be self-aware, think #wwid, thank the volunteers, encourage all the runners, and celebrate the day.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/51570873 w=500&h=281]

Run Rabbit Run 100M

Videography by Bob & Debbie Loomis.

15 thoughts on “#WhatWouldiDo”

  1. so i typed this nice “love” letter to you Timmy but it got deleted, so the part that is really funny was my memory of Geoff back in 2009 or 2010 talking about this Tim guy that just moved to Hal’s town ….. and well you basically proved him right and took our sport my storm! Heal quickly man! You are the defending USATF 100K Champion and Bandera is coming up!

    1. Thanks for all the great comments everyone!!!
      Looking forward to another fun filled year in 2013. I hope you can all stay healthy and enjoy some beautiful runs.
      See you out there.

      cheers,
      Timothy

  2. My philosophy is that a lot of the injury problems we get are when we push our bodies too much, and basically our bodies say “well, mate, if you can’t back off and give me a rest, I’m gonna do it for you”, and, lo and behold, we get some kind of injury problem which forces us to give our body the rest we weren’t intelligent enough to voluntarily give it. I would imagine the advent of your child means you don’t have the same energy to give to your running as before, and you haven’t adapted to that yet.

  3. Pingback: Thurs, Nov 29 | UltraRunnerPodcast.com

  4. I really like the post, the concept “What Would I Do”? I’m injured (and going crazy) and thats what it really seems to come down to, not what everyone else does or what you read off forums, just listen to your body and be honest to yourself. its so easy to lie and say its time to run hard again.

    Ive been resting almost 8 weeks since running Chicago with a stress fracture. I’ll take any motivational words I can get! Thanks Tim, big fan but seldom do I respond on posts.

  5. The perfect timing to be reading this blog post of yours. I’ve been feeling super tired this week and I realized I haven’t taken that much rest this year. I’ve been on my bike as much as I can, leaving the rest days for “tomorrow”. Hope you have lots of fun running the NF 50K! Cheers.

  6. Great post! So I just began my running journey this year and particpated in the 5K Monster Dash in Chicago then a week later did a trail race then the next day began the Road ID 50 miles in 7 days challenge. I can proudly say I accomplished this challenge BUT after that challenge I kept running and did not give myself time to rest. I drastically jumped from running 20 Miles a week to 50 so now my knee is giving me problems soooo I sadly say that I am in rest mode at the moment but plan to run many 10ks a Half marathon and a Marathon hopefully. Thanks for th advice Tim. Good day to you and your family

  8. “My hope is that people can become more conscious, mindful and body aware.”

    This was an unbelievably timely and needed post for me to read. What a wonderful, simple concept you laid out. I needed that reminder , #WWID. Thank you, Timothy.

  9. Thank you so much, I just had knee surgery in June for a torn/shredded meniscus and finally getting back…..I am extremely competetive and this was very hard to listen to my body but I actually am enjoying why I run to begin with, FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on your new family addition, you have a beautiful family!

  10. Thanks for sharing, it’s so important to be kind to bodies especially when we enjoy repeatedly pushing them to the limit. Enjoy a wonderful weekend with your family!

  11. Thanks for sharing, I’ve been running for 20+ yrs. In the first few yrs, I tried running like everybody around me and following certain training. It never worked out like thought it would, so I ditched everything and just ran for the love of running, when I could run faster I did, when I clearly needed time off or to run slow, i did. I felt so amazing and motivated, my times dropped within a yr. Just by listening to my mind and body. WWiD, words to live by!

  12. Great picture with your baby, by the way! Simple words and not just about running. It is what I am working on in my personal and professional life. Finding out what I want to do and where I want to go to feel comfortable in my skin. Listening closely to me. Not what other people say I should be doing, acting, feeling, saying . . . I think using the phrase “what would I do” will help me find clarity for each action and plan because of its simplicity and straightforwardness. I started to run almost five years ago and one of the greatest gifts it has given me is using the lessons from it for living my life. Thank you for your post.

  13. It´s good to hear you.
    Perfect.
    I hope you solve as fast as u can this knee problem.
    Sorry about my poor english.
    Big huges from Brazil and to your family.
    I´m a father of I understand how they are so important.

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