Victim or Architect?

How much of your athlete journey are you owning? How much of your life are you creating?

I was reflecting this morning on a decision I took as an athlete last week. My plan had a 10 mile run session in and race day is drawing close. I, like most athletes love a green week (for those not yet on Training Peaks it means all sessions completed on plan). I felt a bit of a niggle and I could feel my form slipping so I decided to call it a day instead of being a slave to the plan, especially as I had a long ride day the following day. I messaged my coach to let him know why & he replied the following day letting me know he'd done the same & that some times that was the right thing to do. It led me to think about the coach athlete relationship & accountabilities and how my perception of that has changed over the years. At first I thought coach knew everything, and don't get me wrong, mine is brilliant! But I realise now that I too as the athlete have a the greatest responsibility, to grow, to learn, to develop & to know whats right for me - guided - but not dictated by my coach. The things I cherish most from my coaches as a now pretty experienced 'coachee' is their honest perspective to often see the things I don't & their unwavering belief in my untapped potential.

As our world becomes ever more infiltrated by other opinions there is an opportunity for all of us to to either fall victim to our environments, or to consciously become the architects of our own lives and experiences. Being the architect requires conscious awareness, a growth mindset and a hunger for self development & exploration.