I'm in my 40s, and yesterday was the first time I'd ever been called for jury duty. It was a serious criminal case in Superior Court. I ultimately wasn't selected, but I spent the entire day going through the selection process.

Before the questioning began, the judge explained the official term for the process: voir dire. It's an old French legal phrase that means "to speak the truth."

The lawyers' goal in voir dire is to ask jurors questions to uncover how they might judge the case based on past experiences, biases, or beliefs. Your goal as a juror isn't simply to answer the lawyers' questions. It's to answer them honestly enough to reveal whether you can truly be fair. Can you set aside your assumptions? Can you judge only the evidence? Can you admit your own biases?

That phrase stayed with me after I left the courthouse.

Running, I think, asks for a little voir dire almost every day.

How am I really feeling today? Is marathon pace actually marathon pace today? Am I pushing through normal discomfort, or ignoring the early signs of an injury? Do I need to back off, or am I just looking for an excuse?

Those questions deserve honest answers.

I've learned that the runners who improve the most aren't the ones who pretend every workout feels great. They're the ones willing to tell themselves the truth, even when it's not what they hoped to hear.

Some days the truth is that you're ready to push harder. Some days the truth is that the smartest workout is the one you don't do.

Either way, progress starts in the same place:

By speaking the truth.