I've been doing a lot of reading on running and polling my friends. Thoughts on running are as different as the runners themselves. Some run to think, others to forget. Some run to stay in shape, to train, to race - some might even call it fun, but not many. We run the roads, the trails, on treadmills and in circles. We run at different paces - we run, we sprint, we stride, we tread, we jog, we slog (slow jogging), we wog (walking and jogging).
Isn't it funny how we go through life the same way? Some of us are in such a hurry to get through life that we simply breeze by the mile markers without really noting the passage. Others of us dread each step, knowing which 'marker' is next and not wanting to get there.
I've been running a lot of my life - literally and figuratively. I ran track throughout middle and high school and in college until I got pregnant. That was a time that life was a sprint. When you're younger everything seems to happen in high gear and you can't wait for the milestones to happen. 16,18, 21... all important ages to those that haven't gotten there yet. High school, college, career, marriage, kids... all important events when they're in your future. But how much more important do they become when they're are your present? For me it was so much more. And, they become more important or more of a focus when they don't happen in quite the order you'd thought they would. And now, as my own kids are achieving and looking forward to those same milestones and events I find my pace slowing down. I'm still pressing on to the goals ahead and looking forward to the moments and memories yet to be made, however, it's always good to be able to look at the road I've traveled and count the miles I've logged.
I still run. But now instead of sprinting, I amble along at a comfortable pace. Fast enough to get there more quickly than if I was walking but slow enough to be able to notice my surroundings and enjoy the journey. I have found as I have logged the physical miles, especially this summer, that the pace is not as important as the process. One book that I was reading (written especially for women of all ages and stages of running) said, "Don't worry if you're only running 10 minute miles...." She lost me right there. I had been really excited to read a book that was for ALL women - even those of us that are really happy to finally be running 12 minute miles. I resented the fact that somehow my efforts, however valiant, weren't equated with 'running' in her book (or opinion). I know I'm slower than a lot of people, but I'm faster than some. I'm happier than a lot of people too - but not as happy as others.
Do I want to be a better runner? Absolutely. But it won't happen over night. I'm training for a half marathon in the fall. I have the benefit of knowing the set time and date of the race and what I need to do to achieve my goals. Life isn't like that as much - while we're constantly training/experiencing life - we don't always know what's around the corner or what it is we're training for. And, the measure of our success will come when we finish our life's race - the memories that we've made and the legacy we leave. We won't be around to know if we were truly successful or not. So, while I want to be a better runner, it's ultimately more important to me to be a better person. I can learn just as much from the runners and the people behind me in my past as I can from those running/living with me right now and those I hope to catch/meet in the future.
Life is indeed a race of sorts. But it's the process that you go through to prepare and the fortitude of character that you show throughout it that truly matters. Don't leave those things in your dust as you sprint through the chapters of your life. Instead, take a risk and speed up a little to see what lies ahead of you, but don't be afraid to slow down and bask in the comfortable pace of those that love and support you. Above all, don't be afraid of the challenge. Run with confidence and remember... it's not about the pace, but the process.
Here's hoping that we all learn from life's journey and leave behind a place in people's hearts when our race is finished.
Isn't it funny how we go through life the same way? Some of us are in such a hurry to get through life that we simply breeze by the mile markers without really noting the passage. Others of us dread each step, knowing which 'marker' is next and not wanting to get there.
I've been running a lot of my life - literally and figuratively. I ran track throughout middle and high school and in college until I got pregnant. That was a time that life was a sprint. When you're younger everything seems to happen in high gear and you can't wait for the milestones to happen. 16,18, 21... all important ages to those that haven't gotten there yet. High school, college, career, marriage, kids... all important events when they're in your future. But how much more important do they become when they're are your present? For me it was so much more. And, they become more important or more of a focus when they don't happen in quite the order you'd thought they would. And now, as my own kids are achieving and looking forward to those same milestones and events I find my pace slowing down. I'm still pressing on to the goals ahead and looking forward to the moments and memories yet to be made, however, it's always good to be able to look at the road I've traveled and count the miles I've logged.
I still run. But now instead of sprinting, I amble along at a comfortable pace. Fast enough to get there more quickly than if I was walking but slow enough to be able to notice my surroundings and enjoy the journey. I have found as I have logged the physical miles, especially this summer, that the pace is not as important as the process. One book that I was reading (written especially for women of all ages and stages of running) said, "Don't worry if you're only running 10 minute miles...." She lost me right there. I had been really excited to read a book that was for ALL women - even those of us that are really happy to finally be running 12 minute miles. I resented the fact that somehow my efforts, however valiant, weren't equated with 'running' in her book (or opinion). I know I'm slower than a lot of people, but I'm faster than some. I'm happier than a lot of people too - but not as happy as others.
Do I want to be a better runner? Absolutely. But it won't happen over night. I'm training for a half marathon in the fall. I have the benefit of knowing the set time and date of the race and what I need to do to achieve my goals. Life isn't like that as much - while we're constantly training/experiencing life - we don't always know what's around the corner or what it is we're training for. And, the measure of our success will come when we finish our life's race - the memories that we've made and the legacy we leave. We won't be around to know if we were truly successful or not. So, while I want to be a better runner, it's ultimately more important to me to be a better person. I can learn just as much from the runners and the people behind me in my past as I can from those running/living with me right now and those I hope to catch/meet in the future.
Life is indeed a race of sorts. But it's the process that you go through to prepare and the fortitude of character that you show throughout it that truly matters. Don't leave those things in your dust as you sprint through the chapters of your life. Instead, take a risk and speed up a little to see what lies ahead of you, but don't be afraid to slow down and bask in the comfortable pace of those that love and support you. Above all, don't be afraid of the challenge. Run with confidence and remember... it's not about the pace, but the process.
Here's hoping that we all learn from life's journey and leave behind a place in people's hearts when our race is finished.
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