This article was written by Ashley Brasovan for the spring 2019 edition of our Trail Times newsletter. Ashley is the 2007 Foot Locker Cross Country Champion, a Duke University graduate, and most recently a mountain, ultra & trail (MUT) running convert with two USATF Championship titles to her credit – 2017 Trail Half Marathon and 2018 30K Trail Championship – and a USATF team appearance (pictured above, left) at the 2018 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships.
Effortless Perfection: the ability to maintain a robust social life, PR (personal record) in every race, have a glamorous career, sleep 8-10 hours a night, never stress, and always keep a constant smile on your face.
This is a term that I developed in college to describe all of the people and personalities that I met that tried to be perfect – myself included.
One question that I often get asked is, “How do you do it all? You run 60-70 miles a week, work a full time job as a consultant, travel, volunteer coach, represent several Boards across Colorado……and somehow still have friends and a social life?!”
Is this what balance looks like?
This becomes an even bigger question as you get closer to goal races and are trying to hit PRs. Even though I am still trying to define balance and how to integrate running into that, I have figured out a few things.
View this post on Instagram
Balance is different for everyone: Some people thrive off of being busy all of the time while others prefer the “Netflix and chill” lifestyle.
You can’t have everything you want all of the time: It is okay to sacrifice a little bit during certain time periods especially if that will make you a happier human being for everyone else.
Balance changes all the time: You have the choice to wake up every morning and choose what balance (and happiness) will look like on that given day. Will today include more running, work, or social time?
With running, this concept of balance can become increasingly difficult. Running can steal you away from kids, work, and social life for hours at a time. Those 25+ mile Saturday long runs can be a point of argument with loved ones. Your daily run can make you feel unbalanced and selfish at times, and this is something that many runners struggle with (including me).
As you are trying to define balance and how it works best for you, it is okay to allow yourself to make running a large part of that.
Running can make you a more confident, happier, and healthier human for everyone else around you. Running can increase productivity in the office and provide an outlet from work. Good workouts can build confidence in the rest of your life. Social runs can improve friendships and social circles. Running can truly contribute towards balance in the rest of your life. Therefore, many people are willing to make sacrifices to include running in their life, and running, in turn, may improve the quality of everything else.
View this post on Instagram
Balance with running involved might entail waking up slightly earlier prior to the work day, going to bed at 9:00pm on a weekend, consuming slightly less alcohol, and turning down that late-night basketball watch party, but is often worth it in the long run (no pun intended).
Even though I have not quite found the right definition for balance, I do know that balance CAN include running while still fitting in work, home life, social activities, and adequate sleep. Balance does not mean being perfect or attaining effortless perfection because no one is perfect. True balance means that you are happy, healthy, content, and have plenty of good company to do most of the things that you love on a day to day basis. So I challenge you to define what balance means to you and what it takes to get there.
Ashley Brasovan is the 2007 Foot Locker Cross Country Champion, Duke University graduate, two-time USATF Champion – 2017 Trail Half Marathon and 2018 30K Trail Championship – and a USATF team member at the 2018 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships.
View this post on Instagram
