A few weeks ago I started doing something I’ve always hated doing, running. But I wasn’t losing any weight working out or riding my bike, so I decided to give it a try.
I decided to do a program called Couch to 5k, that’s designed to take someone who wasn’t running at all, me, from nothing to running 5k (3.2 miles) in 8 weeks. To be honest, I never thought I’d actually do it but I figured maybe I’d work up to running a mile and that would help me lose some weight. Well, surprise, surprise, I did do it. I know run 3 miles, 3 days per week. It’s still not my favorite 30 minutes of the day but I have lost weight, so it’s worth it.
Along the way I’ve learned a couple of lessons that apply to other parts of life.
The first is it’s good to have a coach who will keep you on a plan and push you to do more than you thought you could. My coach’s name is Jim. Now Jim’s not a real person, he’s actually the voice on the iPhone app I use. When I first started the program, Jim told me when to walk, when to run, when to walk and so on. Now he tells me when I’m halfway through, then when I’ve got 5 minutes left, then 2 , then 1 minute and finally when I can stop. Jim just relentlessly keeps me going. The truth is there’s no way I’d have been able to this just using the timer on my iPhone, I needed Jim to keep me going.
Same thing with me and other men. I need other men in life pushing me on. No matter what you call them coach, guide, or mentor, they just keep pushing you down a path that they know will us better.
The other thing I’ve learned is pacing. I’m real slow and sometimes my competitive nature kicks in and I want to improve my time, so I start out my run at a fast pace. Too fast. Way faster than my skill and conditioning can sustain me. It always catches up to me about half way through then I have to slow way down and I end up with a slower over all time than when I just keep a steady pace. Focusing on improving my times gradually.
The older I get the more I learn that slow and steady wins the race. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, so I need to always think long-term. Not the easiest thing for me to do but I’m learning.
What are you doing in your life that is teaching you lessons that apply in other areas?
