It seems I'm a highly competitive person.............with myself. Probably with others, to a point, but probably in an unhealthy way with myself. ....and yes, I get the irony.
Naturally, there is the tracking of my running during training, races or just running. Distance. Pace. Splits. Blah x 3. While I don't really spreadsheet it, I'm familiar enough with my distances or races and previous times to know if I've done better or not.
But both Apple's Fitness app and Under Armour's May My Run app have challenges built into them. They pop up and Blobby feels the need, even if not consciously, to meet or best said challenge.
Apples are monthly. Though they give you little rewards like your 2nd grade teacher did with gold stars. "You ran a 5k today!". I know. I was there.
Or "you've closed your rings 45 days in a row!".
But I get challenges like 'Exercise x times in 30 days to "win". To be clear, you win nothing - not tangible anyways.
For January 2024, it's this.
Exercise at least 87 minutes 14 times during the month.
....and I'm irked because I'm not going to be able to do it in 14 days, like I did with some other 14 day challenge in December. Yeah, I'll make it in 31 days, but.......in a way, I've already lost.
When I get to 14, that grey outline will turn some colour. Oooooh. But it's a virtual pat-on-the-back.
I can say I don't need their virtual motivation, but..........clearly I do. Or crave it, again, in an unhealthy way.
BUT........concurrently, Map My Run has TWO challenges going on. One 90 days long, one for the full year. Both I'm internally committed to best both well before their respective deadlines.
Technically, I have 45 miles at the time of this writing. Honestly, I'd like to make 200 before February, let alone March 31st, but that's not gonna happen.
And more technicality - it only records two workouts per day. So if I do some active dog walks - and I do - it won't really record them, so I do have a lot lot more than 45 miles. They don't care if you run or walk, just that you move - though not on elliptical or bike.
...and I have 72.32 km under my belt in the first 10 days of the month. I can hopefully close this 1,024 thing by mid-summer, assuming I have not big injuries.
BTW, this doesn't even include my gym app where I have goals and tracking taking place. None of these are even close to each other in what a goal would look like, and all use their own apps to track. Not all appls will work concurrently, so I'm not always tracking everything all the time - knowing I'm shortchanging myself on one or all of these.
And while you think I'm a freak for this, in that last challenge, I'm in 3,182nd place. The leader has 476.4 kms already to her name. I have zero idea where I stack up. I might be 3,182nd out of 89,000. Or out of 3,191. I'm too lazy to scroll down to see.
Physically I think these challenge are good for me overall. Mentally, it's taxing. I mean, I don't think about it a lot, but I know it's there each time I head to the gym or out for a run. "Must. Make. Goal" rums through my grey matter.
Somedays it sucks being me. .....and not in that good way.
Song by: Clint Black
3 comments:
Psychologists at play.
You should try the Fiona Apple Exercise app
You can buy this man a sheet of lined cardstock with the days numbered across the top and a box of Dennison adhesive gold stars, or you can turn the page.
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