Underestimating myself!

I have come to the conclusion that I am my own worst critic.  I realize for most of us, we probably are.  We are hardest on ourselves when it comes to our perceived limitations.  How often do we say to ourselves, I can't do this, I could never, I will never.....   I know I catch myself doing it on a  regular basis.

Learning to run was one example.  In  January I "couldn't" run for 2 minutes at a time.  I "would never be able to run a full race".  I can run for more than 5 minutes at a time, I ran a full 5km's on the weekend.   I need to stop underestimating myself and selling myself short.  I can do amazing things.  I've proven that over, and over and over again and yet at least once a week when I set out on a run (Yes, I'm allowing myself to say run, not jog, not wog, but run!)  I almost have myself convinced before I'm out the door that I'm going to fail at it.  I'll never be able to do it.  No way no how.

I've done the same thing when I've been estimating a course for running.  I'm finding time and again and again that I end up having to back track, or loop around an area again to give myself enough time and distance to run before I end up back at the beginning.

I ran from somewhere else tonight after work. I figured that I had 3:1x7 on the schedule and that if I did this one loop that would get me all the way done and back with 5 minutes of walking as a warm up and cool down.  That simply wasn't the case.  I had to adjust my route three times along the way so that I wouldn't get back to the start with more intervals to run.   http://connect.garmin.com/activity/481347583  As it was I didn't have any real time to cool down.  I was back where I started with people waiting on me.

I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago when I ran from the tire shop to my doctor's office, and on Sunday with my run clinic homework. I told my husband it would take me at least an hour to make it to the Starbucks when in reality I made it in 54 minutes and that was stopping for 3 lights that took FOREVER to change.

It's time for me, for all of us really, to stop underestimating ourselves.  I'm going to start overestimating for a change, and see where I end up that way.