The answer is no, we’re not racing

The answer is no, we’re not racing

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We’ve all seen this quote before. I think I find it so funny because, nearly 100% of the time, it’s absolutely true. On the treadmill or under the squat rack, in class or out on the pavement, the competitive person in me will almost always find a way to turn a workout into a competition. It’s what motivates and pushes me. It’s what gets me to go beyond my comfort zone and it’s what makes me want to be continually better. Whether in a made up race I’ve created inside my head (beat you to that streetlight, Mr. Purple Socks) or in a real one with bibs and chips.

I like to race.

A childhood full of competitive athletics will do that to you. I mean, at 8 years old I had an Olympic-themed birthday party and made all of my friends complete various feats of strength in exchange for cake. Argue in favor of nature or nurture all you want. Either way, if athletics are involved, we’re racing.

But the one place I don’t have any interest in competing? The blog world. This little space I’ve created as a passion project to share my love of fitness. To write and enjoy a bit of creativity. To meet other fitness fanatics like myself who enjoy spandex, green juice, and having fun. I have no intention or need to compete here.

Full disclosure: that’s a lot harder to do than to say. But isn’t that always the case?

I have on more than one occasion found myself wishing I had been picked for some exclusive partnership, or chosen to attend this new studio opening or that brand meet-up. The circle of doubt starts to spin and all of the various versions of “why not me” and “what do I need to do to win out next time” begin to do their worst. It’s not a pretty place to be mentally.

And you know what causes it? Competitiveness. The very same thing that drives me to crank at the gym sneaks up in other areas too, totally uninvited and not always with positive outcome.

When speaking with a few fitness bloggers the other day, one of them asked me to name the one thing that surprised me most about the NYC blog scene. Almost without hesitation, I blurted out, “There are so many fitness bloggers here. It’s just so competitive. It sometimes feels like you’re in this unspoken race to get just a little bit further ahead of everyone else.”

But the interesting thing I’ve realized about racing? You can stop whenever you want. And I’d love to take this moment to say that I’m tapping out of the blog race – whether that race is real or in my head.

Either way. Sign me up for a DNF (technical race term: did not finish).

The answer is no, we're not racing
The answer is no, we’re not racing

Because you know what? There are a ton of fitness bloggers out there. Not just here in NYC, but around the country and all over the world. And that’s an awesome thing. Working out and eating right are not intuitively easy. Heck, I know I personally need all the help I can get. The more of us doing what we can to bring new ideas to the table, the better. There’s true strength in numbers and I personally look at every single member of this community and think, man oh man, total #squadgoals.

So to all my friends out there in blog world: please keep being awesome. Get those exclusive invites and tell us all about the experience. Try out new gear and give us the honest truth about what makes it new and different. Celebrate studio openings and then let us in on why we need to sign up (because you know I’ll be the first one to sign up and give it a go). Go on sponsored trips and enjoy, because dang, that’s a super cool opportunity. And if and when opportunities come my way, I’ll try my best to return the favor.

So the bottom line is this.

If we’re on a treadmill, the answer is yes, we’re racing.

But thankfully, this blog is not a treadmill. So I’m taking off my race bib, putting up my feet, enjoying a nice big green smoothie, and sending out a virtual “fist bump” and “high five” to everyone out there in blog land. Keep it up. Keep it awesome. I’m here to participate but I’m not here to compete. However, I do look forward to supporting and being a part of this crazy, amazing community till I’m old, grey, and scootering my way to spin class.

Cheers!

 

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