Lessons from Mile 4: What a Run Taught Me About Comparison and Progress

The weather was perfect.

70 degrees. Sunny. Light breeze.

The kind of day that calls you outside.

I don’t run often, but on days like this, I love hitting my favorite path around a nearby golf course. I throw on a great podcast and treat it like therapy—just me, my breath, and the open road. It’s one of the few ways I can really be present. No distractions. No screens. Just movement and mindfulness.

About halfway through, I started to get tired. I slowed my pace, focused on my breathing, and reminded myself I wasn’t trying to break any records.

This wasn’t about speed.

This was about finishing.

About showing up.

About the process.

And then it happened.

Some guy zoomed past me out of nowhere. Dude was flying. Aggressive pace. Effortless stride.

Immediately, the mental chatter kicked in:

“Am I too slow?”

“Should I be pushing harder?”

“Why can’t I run like that?”

In an instant, I went from being in the zone to doubting myself.

And that’s when it hit me: I was falling into the comparison trap—a mindset killer not just in fitness, but in life.

I shut the voices down, locked back into my breath, and just kept running.

About half a mile later, I saw the guy again. But this time, he was walking.

By the time I reached him, he had turned around and was heading back the way he came.

That’s when I realized…

He had just started his run when he passed me.

I was on mile 4, pacing myself.

He was on minute 1, sprinting out of his driveway.

And here I was, comparing myself to someone whose story I didn’t know.

Whose chapter I hadn’t read.

Whose journey had nothing to do with mine.

💭 The Real Lesson

How often do we do this in life?

Compare our progress to someone else’s without knowing where they started...

…what they’re carrying...

…or what their goals even are?

In fitness, in business, in relationships—we see someone sprinting and think we’re behind.

But maybe they’re just on their first mile.

And you? You’re building endurance. Discipline. Resilience.

Especially when you're over 40, the race isn’t about speed—it’s about sustainability.

💥 The Takeaway

The moment you start comparing, you disconnect from your own progress.

Everyone’s on a different path, with a different pace.

And most of the time—you don’t know the full story anyway.

So stay focused.

Stay steady.

And trust that your consistency will take you exactly where you need to go.