Be smartly stubborn

I’ve had a few tough weeks with a frozen shoulder which is really getting in the way of my marathon training. It’s a weird but painful condition that comes out of nowhere and takes its own time to go away.

I’ve tried to keep going as best I can, really wanting to keep my goal alive.

But I’ve had to accept that London marathon isn’t happening for me this year. That’s obviously really frustrating, but denying the truth wasn’t getting me anywhere.

That’s the bad sort of stubbornness, pushing on when you really ought to be resting. But I know myself well enough to recognise when I’m getting into that mindset. And I know the pitfalls.

Being too stubborn about pursuing my 2026 marathon goal could cost me my 2027 marathon goal! It could give me an injury that keeps me away from the sport I love for longer. Or take time away from focussing on my coaching goals.

So now I’m trying to redirect that stubbornness into more productive channels. I’m still working on the details of that, but I’m currently thinking about how I can safely get back to my running. Finding better treatment options. Coming up with a gym routine that doesn’t twinge my shoulder. Making sure I’m taking the time to expand my coaching offer.

Sometimes determination isn’t about pouring everything into Plan A. It’s saying, this isn’t working, time for Plan B. Or C.

Because being stubborn about the wrong things isn’t smart.

A lot of my coaching is about helping people to formulate their goals and move towards them. But there’s also a lot of time when we need to take stock of the goals and the plans and say, hmm, is this still the right thing, or is it time to find a new way of approaching this.

Do you have goals that you need to move on from?