I was never voted “Most Likely to Never Ever Ever Run a Marathon” in high school, only because there never was such a category. If there were, I am sure I would’ve received the honour, even beating out Paul, the boy in the wheelchair and Lisa, the girl who lost her left leg to cancer. I was just never good at athletics; I enjoyed lunch too much!
But when I took up running in 2008, I came upon something I could really sink my teeth into, and not just for the physical benefits. I am someone who loves to learn and grow. I’ve come to realize that sometimes the greatest changes happen when I learn about myself; this small internal shift can change my entire outlook on everything!
In fact, I’ve come to believe that a commitment to any difficult process will challenge a person in ways that can enhance all aspects of their life. Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned along the way… or perhaps, around the track.
The first thing I discovered about myself is that I can use rationalization to my benefit. When I first began running, I was obese and unfit. Something compelled me to try to run a mile. The first morning, I could only jog for about 30 seconds. I checked - I was far from a mile. But by the second morning, my stamina (or perhaps just my determination) had increased and before I realized what was going on, I had jogged the first half of the mile! My rational brain then decided for me that if I could complete one half, I could certainly complete the other. This somewhat skewed thinking got me through my first ever mile of nonstop jogging, or rather, shuffling.
The second discovery I quickly made was that I can use rationalization to my detriment. After all, I know I can make it the other half of this 30 minute run, so I can just walk now, right? Luckily, I paired up with a very strong partner, both physically, but more so mentally. My running buddy Ajae taught me to “finish strong,” while I just wanted to take it easy and “cool down” on the last legs of our workouts. (It turns out the “cool down” is for after the workout.) This idea of ‘finishing strong’ really resonated with me on a few levels, as I came to recognize a pattern I had held in other areas of my life.
When I think back to my early twenties, I remember thinking of myself as an ‘ideas’ person. I was always coming up brilliant ideas and hair-brained schemes. I’m pretty sure I invented sliced bread, however with my lack of follow through, someone else got there first. I didn’t realize that this quality of being a great starter and not a finisher was something I could change… until I started running with Ajae.
She got me trained to love finishing strong. I remember sprinting to the finish line of both of the half-marathons I completed last year, and this after having run for nearly three hours!
My learning to finish strong didn’t end at running; I learned to be a great task-finisher at work, and to have entire days filled with tying up loose ends and completing projects. Until I made finishing well a priority, I never realized how fulfilling it was! I’ve made that habit a part of my everyday life now, and the sense of accomplishment I feel far outweighs any brilliant idea that never went anywhere.
Surprisingly, the third discovery I made involved getting very angry at the running buddy for whom I had professed so much respect. She had probably set the pace too fast for my liking and / or challenged me to yet another task I thought I couldn’t do (but really could) or something of the like. Before I knew it, I was really boiling up at her. Instead of lashing out (I couldn’t anyway; she was too far ahead) I asked myself why I was so angry. I realized that in running, as in life, I expect a certain level of fairness. There was nothing fair about her setting such a fast pace, or being able to perform so much better than me, or pushing me as hard as she was.
It was that day I accepted that life isn’t always fair. Somebody’s always going to be a faster runner than me. Somebody will lose weight more easily. Somebody will be better at this or at that. And it’s never fair. But when you have a goal, a vision you’re working towards, and a plan to get there, fair doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is you and your goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment