How Comparison Is Sabotaging Your Progress
Trail running is a sport that attracts athletes of all kinds—those transitioning from road running, those exploring a new passion, and even those returning to running after years away. It’s a sport full of excitement, challenge, and breathtaking experiences. But there’s an issue I see time and time again with new athletes: the fixation on pace, race finish times, and comparison.
Many athletes fall into the trap of comparing their current performance to how they used to run in high school or college. Others can’t help but measure themselves against fellow competitors or even trail running elites—especially in a sport where amateurs and professionals often line up together at the same start line. In no other sport do you actually compete on the same playing field as the elites. Imagine if your neighborhood flag football team had to share the field with the Seahawks during a game. The thought alone could cause immense anxiety, yet in trail running, this is exactly what happens. This unique aspect of the sport often amplifies feelings of self-doubt and comparison.
Another common source of anxiety comes from joining a neighborhood group run and worrying about being the slowest person in the group. For someone new to the sport, the fear of holding others back or standing out as the "slow one" can be overwhelming. This worry often leads to people avoiding group runs altogether, even though these are excellent opportunities to learn, connect, and grow as a runner.
This comparison game often leads to a downward spiral of self-doubt. Websites like UltraSignup make it all too easy to scrutinize numbers, rankings, and age group performances. And day after day, these thoughts of “I’m not good enough” erode self-esteem. This constant mental chatter doesn’t just rob you of joy; it can sap your motivation to train and blind you to the progress you’ve actually made.
Why Comparison Never Helps
There’s a reason we say, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s never resulted in an athlete feeling better about themselves. Studies have shown that negative self-talk and constant self-criticism don’t just affect our mental state—they also have tangible effects on physical performance. When your inner dialogue is focused on “I’m too slow,” “I’m a back-of-the-pack finisher,” or “Everyone navigated that rocky section better than I did,” you set the stage for decreased confidence and increased stress, both of which can hurt your results.
Instead of recognizing improvements, this cycle of self-criticism leaves no room to celebrate what’s going right. If you’re constantly tearing yourself down, how can you truly enjoy the sport?
Every athlete’s journey is so different. Everything is so publicized these days, and data overload is everywhere. It is easy to pollute your mind with messages that you should be better/faster/stronger. Wishing you were different is counterproductive and disrespectful to the work you put in. It takes away respect for what you have accomplished and where you have come from. Don’t lose appreciation for your starting point.
The Reality of Learning and Improvement
Another challenge many adult athletes face is forgetting that we’re not meant to excel at something the first time we try it. Building skills takes time, and trail running is no exception. Think about children learning a new skill. You wouldn’t expect a child to master a new sport in a month or to perform as well as another child who’s been practicing for years. Yet we set these unrealistic expectations for ourselves.
Personally, I’ve been learning Italian since January. It’s challenging, and progress feels painfully slow. My teacher recently reminded us that it takes about a year of consistent practice to speak well enough to communicate simple thoughts. The same principle applies to trail running: comparing your progress to someone else’s—whether it’s an elite runner or a friend who’s been training for years—does nothing to make you better. Improvement takes consistent effort, patience, and a willingness to embrace the process.
Confidence is built over time, just like speed or technical running skills, but ONLY if you work on it. You can’t build the skill of confidence, contentment in your own journey, and self-respect if you never work on that skill and are constantly telling people you are slow or comparing yourself to others. That would literally be conditioning yourself to be a person whose default thought is to put yourself down. In that case, you are training your mind in the skill to be unhappy.
The Importance of Doing the Work
If you want to excel, you have to put in the work. Trail running isn’t just about those stunning weekend runs in the Gorge with beautiful views. It’s about committing to the boring but essential aspects of training: strength workouts, slow runs, mobility work, speed intervals, and detailed attention to nutrition. Is your self-doubt stemming from reality or what you perceive to be the truth? Oftentimes, your fear is imagined ideas of what people may think or say about you. But we have to look critically: could your feelings of anxiety be because you KNOW you aren’t putting in the work? If that’s the case, then it’s a different story.
Doing the work builds not only your performance but also your relationship with yourself. If you know deep down that you haven’t been putting in the necessary effort, it’s much easier to spiral into negative self-talk. But when you prove to yourself that you can show up consistently for your goals, you build confidence and pride in your progress.
The Epidemic of Self-Doubt
Judging ourselves and feeling inadequate has become an epidemic in trail running. I’ve seen athletes spend months training for an ultra, cross the finish line, and immediately say, “I wish I had been faster,” dismissing their accomplishment in one small comment. Why are we so afraid to feel good about ourselves?
Perhaps we talk down about ourselves because we are afraid that being proud of our effort will invite others to judge us. Negative talk often acts as a buffer. If you say, “I’m slow,” “I’m not going to finish the race by the cutoff,” or “I’m not as good as the group,” you think you’re beating others to the punch—getting ahead of their judgment. By announcing these self-critical thoughts, you hope to manage their expectations (or your own). But does this behavior help? Or are you solidifying your underperformance by announcing that you won’t be proud of yourself regardless of the outcome?
This “make fun of myself before they can” epidemic ensures you go into every effort feeling as low as possible. Instead of preparing for success, you’ve already given up before you’ve even started.
Three things need to happen here:
Realize that degrading yourself doesn’t protect you from judgment; it only guarantees you start from a negative place. This behavior doesn’t lessen expectations—it ensures you feel poorly about every effort you make.
Surround yourself with the right people. If you’re with friends who would judge you for being proud of a pace that isn’t David Roche-fast, it’s time to find a new friend group. Your circle should uplift you and celebrate your progress, not tear you down.
Listen to your own words from another person’s perspective. Consider how your criticism of your own efforts might impact others. If you aren’t “fast enough,” how could someone at a more casual pace feel comfortable vocalizing their own accomplishments? What does this sound like to someone who might be trying out this sport for the first time? It’s a domino effect of negativity, and your words can unintentionally influence others.
The Role of Self-Talk in Performance
One of the four categories of psychological experience that can influence performance—and that can be trained—is self-talk. Cognitive appraisal, self-talk, and directing the narrative all play critical roles in how we approach challenges and view our efforts. By choosing to train these aspects, we can reshape our inner dialogue and strengthen our mindset for growth and resilience.
Consider the role of self-talk at the start of a 50k race for example. Self-talk is a skill that can be trained, and its impact on performance is profound. Imagine standing at the start line and comparing yourself to others. If you’re thinking, “They look so much stronger than me,” or, “I’ll never be able to keep up with their pace,” how do you think that mindset will serve you when fatigue starts to set in four hours into the race? This comparison-driven narrative can lead to negative self-talk like, “I’m always at the back of the pack anyway,” which erodes both your mental and physical energy. Mental fatigue is sneaky—it’s hard to recognize, yet it can drain you just as much as the miles on the trail. On the other hand, if you start the race by focusing on your own preparation and strengths with affirmations like, “I’ve trained for this,” or, “I’ll adapt to whatever challenges come my way,” you set a foundation of resilience that can carry you through the inevitable difficulties of an ultra-distance event.
Tips for Breaking the Comparison Cycle
Focus on Your Own Progress: Track your improvements over time instead of comparing yourself to others. Celebrate small wins, like running farther or recovering faster. Remember that it is very hard to see things that you are so close to. The day-to-day improvements might be hard to spot. Tracking helps you see where the small improvements are made.
Practice Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with affirmations like, “I’m improving every day” or “I showed up and gave it my all.” It often isn’t enough to say these things in your head, especially if, when you talk negatively, you do it out loud. You should be doing the same thing with positive affirmations.
Limit Social Comparisons: Avoid obsessively checking rankings or comparing splits with others. Take a break from the numbers and focus on how you feel and what parts of trail running bring you joy. Focus on your own journey.
Reframe Your Goals: Shift your mindset from being the fastest to being the most consistent or resilient. Often, a mindset shift can happen by simply putting in the work and showing yourself that you will show up for your own goals.
Celebrate Milestones: Take time to acknowledge and celebrate each finish line, no matter how long it took you to get there. This can be a tough one for many, but realize that if you skip over the part where you allow yourself to feel accomplished and proud, then you will be stuck in the negative thought loop indefinitely.
Take the spotlight away from yourself: Go volunteer at a race aid station, pace or crew someone at their race, or invite a friend out on the trail who has never done a trail run. Shift the focus from pace and finish times to lifting others up in the sport.
Final Thoughts
Trail running is a sport that demands grit, patience, and self-compassion. By letting go of comparisons and embracing your own journey, you can find greater joy and fulfillment in the process. Remember: progress isn’t always linear, but every step you take—whether on a rocky trail or toward better self-talk—brings you closer to becoming the runner you want to be.
