Lessons from Running...

Many of you are aware that I have been training for the Country Music Half Marathon. with the race about one month away (April 26th) yesterday I successfully completed 10 miles! I am still in a bit of shock! I knew i could do it, but wow. I've never run that far/long before. Wow.

Anyhow, since I began this torture, countless numbers of people have asked me the same question: "Why?" Typically I spout off some sort of response expressing how I want to prove to people that I can do this...That I've been told all my life that I am bad runner... that it's on my 101 list.. etc. All of this is true, however it's so much more than that.

Since my training began, I've discovered a few truths about running that I feel also apply to the rest of life. While high on the cheesiness scale, I do think some of these are insightful....

Believing is half the battle. For me personally, this has been my saving grace, because I've believed I can do this race (some days less than others) from the beginning. Even when others didn't, I believed I could do it...no matter how hard it sucked (and there have been many sucky times). Ironically, I'm finding "believing" to be the hardest part in almost every area of my life right now. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm sticking with this running madness. I need to see something I believe in come true. And at this point, I more than "believe" that I can do this race.. I know I can. And just the thought of crossing the finish line after working so hard and for believing in something that seemed impossible half of the time and stupid most of the time, just the thought of actually seeing it happen makes me feel a lot of different things. And this, more than anything else, is why I just might be one of those weirdos who gets emotional after finishing the race. I always thought that was ridiculous (I still kinda do), but when I see this belief actualized.. well.. I dunno what I'll do.

Wasting time watching everyone else is the surest way to fail. (in other words: Go at your own pace) Sometimes I get depressed at the fact that I am one of the slowest runners to ever grace this planet. Currently, I don't really care, since speed doesn't have much to do with one's ability to finish, however, there were moments when my (lack of) speed gave me grief. I've learned that you have to take things at your own pace and just be satisfied. I'm not out to impress anyone with my swift agility (thank goodness, since I have none!), I'm simply out to finish without walking, and without injury. If I'm doing a long-run with a group of people and try to keep pace with college cross-country runners several things could/probably will happen: 1. I'll run out of steam early and quit. 2. I'll hurt myself. 3. I'll feel stupid. In short: Know thy pace... and keep it!

It's not about speed, it's about not giving up.
This goes hand in hand with our last point. While speed is important, it isn't the end-all, be-all of surviving a long race. There are plenty of hardcore runners out there who are obsessed with their time and their speed. More power to them, I say. For me, and for most I would wager, it's about getting to the finish line injury-free without copping out and quitting. Think on this, and be satisfied. Save your time stressing for your 2nd race.

There are no shortcuts. If you aren't committed, don't bother. You have to be dedicated to run a half marathon. This was one of the main reasons I decided to beat myself up in the first place. I wanted to prove to myself that I could take on a huge physical and mental task that I never thought I could do and then complete it. Running seemed perfect to me because like most other difficult things in life, there are no shortcuts. For better or for worse I am the queen of shortcuts. If there is an easier way to do something, you can bet that I will figure out how to do it. I call this resourceful, my math teachers called it rebellious. (but can you blame me? Why waste time showing your work if you already know the answer?) I am a detailed person, but at the end of the day I am very results oriented: "Where are we going and what's the fastest, most accurate way to get there?" Like map-quest! However, there isn't a "faster" way to become adept at running. You just have to run. Strange as it may seem, i find it to be like forgiveness. Like forgiving, you just have to run over and over, more and more often for longer and longer until you have built up endurance. There are no short-cuts. I can't read a book that will make me a better runner. I can't rely on anyone else to push me along, I've just simply got to run. And if you can't dedicate yourself to that, if you can't commit to the boring day-in-day-out of it, then don't bother signing up, cause chances are you won't get there. Ironically, I've done lots of things that required large amounts of dedication/commitment with little room (if any) for shortcuts: music stuff, graduating, paying off loans, event planning, organizing..etc, and with the exception of forgiveness and learning to love well, the most difficult has been the running.


Boredom happens. Be ready to fight! This one is hard. Sometimes I have all the strength I need to keep going but I get bored anyway and try and persuade myself to stop. I have found that my mind is an incredible ally and enemy! I can talk myself out of, or into anything. So I've learned the trick is this: when running, don't think about running. The second I start thinking about how I am running, or long I've been going, or how far I have to go, or what else I could be doing with 2 full hours on a Saturday afternoon, I immediately get tired and start thinking about ways to justify quitting. Like couples that are constantly having DTR's, thinking about running while running is another way to destine yourself to an unhappy ending. Basically in running, just as in life: Boredom happens. Plan for it. Have a plan of attack ready! Are you going to quit college 3/4ths of the way through because you are bored? Are you going to put your dog to sleep because he wasn't what you expected? Are you going to divorce your wife of 10 years because it's all feeling just a bit too routine? Hopefully not!!! So are you going to quit running at 8 miles because you really want a cheeseburger and you just KNOW you could be having 10 times the fun just about anywhere else? No! Be dedicated! Commit! Boredom is not a justifiable excuse. You signed up for this, remember?!

Routine is a stumbling block we all face. This pretty much goes back to the boredom bit. Routine is rough. Once I've run a route once, or have run to a play list once, I find it 10 times harder to run the same route, or run to the same play list a second time. I get bored. The routine has lost its newness. I'm no longer intrigued. There is less to distract me from the now unavoidable fact that I am (gasp!) running! I imagine this resonates with everyone on some level. The past 2 years of my life have been a lesson in learning not to fear "the routine." It's been difficult. Staying in one place, not having the variety that I used to have, not throwing money at any and every opportunity in the name of distraction to avoid the pain of standing still... I'm told that this is a sign of maturity. One can only hope. It is true in children. Children who are further along in their development can sit still. They can listen longer. They don't wiggle as much or run around a room full of adults like overstimulated puppies. Perhaps it's true of adults as well? Regardless, I do think it's a sign of mature runners. There are major perks to running a route that you know, the most important one being that you can pace yourself better. You can avoid deathtraps like raised concrete. You can hide your water bottles. You can time the trains...etc. Routine: It's a stumbling block, not a cornerstone. (someone should put that on a shirt)


Shoes make all the difference. Do I really need to say more about this one? =)


Don't worry, I'm not out to become some hard-core endurance athlete, believe me! I think it's telling that the first person to run a full marathon died right after he finished. I will not be following in his footsteps. I have found this journey to be somewhat rewarding thus far. The last time I have felt this proud of myself was when the EP was finished, and that was a kind of challenge I am better at, much easier in comparison to this!

1 month remains.....