write your plans in pencil
training run near the golden gate bridge :)
During the first guided run of my half marathon training with Kate, Nike Running global head coach Chris Bennett said something that stuck with us. “Every training plan is written in pencil. They’re meant to be erased and adjusted.” He explained that athletes not only hold the pencil to write out their training plan but also the eraser to change, skip, or reorder things as they need. We walked away from that first run with a lesson learned not only for our training, but also for our daily routine.
Having a plan is important, but having the courage to adjust your plan is even more so.
I’ve always loved to have a plan - many of us do. Whether it be a plan for my day, week, or a goal, I find comfort in giving myself structure to follow. While plans are helpful in allowing us to prioritize the things we want and accomplish what we set out to do, they can also limit us and create unnecessary pressure.
Life is unpredictable. Sometimes aspects of a plan we intend to be best for ourselves no longer feel that way when it comes time to execute - and that is okay. We owe it to ourselves to acknowledge that is okay and adjust our plans, rather than blame ourselves for not meeting our original expectation. We have an eraser for a reason.
I just graduated and moved to a new city far from home, and I love to plan out my days and weeks for a sense of stability. At the same time, I cannot expect myself to follow all of my plans perfectly while I adjust to a new lifestyle in a new place. Doing my best to lean on my eraser each day, rather than criticize myself for falling short, has been a powerful shift in mindset.
Deviating from our original plan is not a failure, it is an act of kindness to ourselves. Flexibility and adaptability in our day to day, instead of rigidity and limitation, can unlock all sorts of new doors in self-compassion and understanding.
Keep using your pencil to provide yourself with thoughtful guidance, but always remember you have your eraser - and use it whenever you need.
xo, han
