Running

4 Running/Life Seasonal Questions

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I’ve lived in Florida for 30 years, but I’ve only been a runner 9 of those years.  In the fall of 2007, I graduated from an occasional jogger to an intentional runner.  When the summer of 2008 came around, I encountered for the first time what it means to have to change gears because of the rise in humidity and heat.

A friend (occasional runner) brought this up today-how he’s challenged to run over a mile right now, having trouble breathing, etc.  Breaking News: Running in December is not the same as running in July!  After that conversation, it crossed my mind how the adjustments runners must make based on seasons is very applicable to seasons of life in general.  

  • Season of raising a young family
  • Season of transition (job changing, moving, retiring, empty nesting)
  • Season of busyness (school starting/ending, holidays, kid’s recreational activities)
  • Season of recovery (from surgery, from loss, from the other seasons)

With that in mind, here are some questions from a runner’s perspective that might help you get through your season of life. 

1.  How long might this season be?

This might sound trivial, possibly unnecessary. Think about it though. A woman knows roughly how long her pregnancy will be.  We all know how long winter lasts.  That knowledge, in some sense, gets us through that period of time.  So, to the best of your knowledge, determine how long your season might be.  Do some research on empty nesters.  Read about how long to expect your family to acclimate to a new city.  Step one, know the length of your season.

2.  What adjustments do you need on make?

One adjustment I’ve made in the past for the summer is to move indoors, train on the treadmill.  Another is to change my weekly routine-how many days I run and how long each run will be.  And every year it may look different.  Your adjustments might be changing your bedtime or when the alarm goes off.  Maybe using social media more or less.  Your whole routine of life may need assessing.  Not a problem.  If you’ll embrace it, you may find some exciting changes that you’ll wish you’d made long ago.

3.  What should your pace be?

Summer running pace is much slower.  You find that out the easy way or the hard way.  Making adjustments can also be easy or hard.  So pace yourself.  Don’t put too much pressure on finding your new norm too quickly.  Be gracious to yourself.  It’s a new season.  

4.  What are your short term goals?

Summer is not racing season.  Much like baseball players in the winter or football players in the spring, you should set some short term goals that keep you in shape for the “show.”  If survival is all you can manage, then shoot for it.  Most likely, you can do more than survive.  You might actually consider hiring a life coach to walk you through this season.  If you are pretty good at goal setting, then determine what you hope to achieve by the end of this season.

God brought you to this season.  You don’t have to dehydrate, heatstroke, or find yourself on the side of the road asking yourself how did you get there.  Stop right now and make yourself answer these questions.  This season will pass.  Get the most out of it.  Determine the length, make adjustments, set your pace, and reach for your goals.

You NEED a Snickers

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Those snicker commercials…”you’re not you when you’re hungry”…excellent. I use that line often. “You need a snickers.”

Recently I discovered I hadn’t been me. And I didn’t even realize it. 

Sometimes, for various reasons, we can let life get us away from what makes us us. Or what keeps us healthy, alert, moving forward.

For example, reading is something I NEED. Earlier this year I realized that I hadn’t been doing it at the level at which I need. In a sense, I was starving myself. When I realized it, the first thing I did was ask the why question. Answered that, then determined to get back to doing what I need. And I feel more like me. Hunger satisfied.

That’s one of a few things I need to be me. There are certainly universal things we all need. But there are needs/things that are unique to us individually. Do you know your things that make you you? God designed you to need those things. How do you make sure you get them? You’re more you when you have them. 

Self-starvation is just crazy. Know your needs. Be aggressive in getting them so you can be you.

Good News, Bad News, Good News

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Good News #1:  Goal Met

http://myevent.com/Runningforstorytellers

The link above is to a fundraising page created in support of a church in Detroit.  As you read the cover page on this site, you’ll read they’ve been in a campaign to raise $20,000 by Memorial Day.  Good News: they’ve reached their goal…two weeks ahead of schedule.  This was phase one of a year-end goal to raise $50,000.

grastonBad News #1:  Sidelined

My right calf has been giving me fits for almost two months.  I finally saw a doctor yesterday and running the race this Sunday is out of the question.  Nothing longterm, just have to work out some scar tissue through therapy (follow this link about graston technique) and rebuild.  But, that means the dollars donated for this cause and this race seem unresolved.  Nothing more frustrating to me than not being able to run a race that is paid and trained for with a goal of helping others attached.

Good News #2:  Transferable

It hit me that through the Race 13.1 series, they might have a transfer policy in place to allow you to move your registration from one race to another.  Sure enough, checked the website, and that was an option.  So Good News: I can train for another race this year without losing the registration, and not only should I be able to honor the intent of the funds already raised, now we can further assist Storytellers as they move into their next fundraising phase by raising more funds before my rescheduled race.  

Stay tuned to find out the rescheduling and how you can support this next phase for Storytellers.

 

Practice, Practice, Practice

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Tonight I was reminded of the importance of repeating fundamentals in any discipline to maintain the opportunity to be great, or at least to improve.

Most great accomplishments are the result of doing little things faithfully over a long time.

  • For a pianist, the little things include scales and arpeggios.
  • For a runner, the little things include hydrating and stretching.
  • For a journalist, the little things include listening and questioning.

You have disciplines, whether you see them as that or not. You may have the discipline of being a student, or being a mother, or being an employee, or being a dancer. When we stop to think about all areas of our lives, we maintain many disciplines. Sounds tiring. Hard to maintain.

So what keeps us honed, sharp, improving, growing? Not ignoring the fundamentals. Practice, practice, practice.

You want to be a faithful employee? Show up on time. Meet the deadline. Say thank you.

You want to be a faithful husband? Take your wife out on a date. Ask her what needs to be done around the house. Give her a kiss right now.

You want to be a faithful follower of Christ? Talk with God about other things besides your plate of food. Read His letter to you as often as you can. Talk with others about your faith in God.

We all desire to be great or at least moving in a forward direction. Remember the fundamentals of your discipline. Practice, practice, practice.