This is a reprint of last October 2010 though the first time posted here.
I went to Chicago on Sunday to cheer for the Marathon runners in this Year’s Chicago Marathon. 45,000 people signed up to run, a little more than 38,000 made it to the starting line and approximately 36,000 people finished. That is an extraordinary number given the distance of the run, the heat of the day, and the long hours from start to finish. It is not a goal to take on lightly. It requires discipline, consistency, mental and physical fortitude, and a willingness to push ones’ self to the edge. It was double the distance I had run a month earlier.
I watched from the Mile 9 marker so it was still early on in the race, but past the beginning stage. Some people ran with sweat flying off of their bodies, they looked like sprinklers! Others smiled and waved to the crowd, and many others looked straight ahead concentrating on the run. Everyone ran it differently. The Elite runners were the most serious of all. They looked straight ahead, many without smiling. I watched them in awe as they literally flew past me.
I found myself happy to be on the sidelines for this one- watching, cheering, and taking it all in. I ran my run- this one I could just enjoy and be there for the ones who were brave enough to do it. It felt so good to be there.
It also reminded me that every time we take on a challenge or commit to something that feels beyond our comfort zone, we enter a stretch band. It’s a metaphor I’ve come to use to describe the ascents we make from one place to another. It’s the new watermarks we set for ourselves that measure our growth as we move forward in life. Running is a great metaphor because it starts out feeling impossible, but with commitment, discipline and consistency, anyone can run a marathon- it just takes time and a desire to do it. Also, it doesn’t have to be running, it can be anything.
This is a huge lesson for me because the truth is I’m lazy. I get to a place of comfort and I tend to want to stay there. I have to push myself to go beyond that zone and find compelling reasons to move forward. Signing up for marathons, or ½ marathons, motivates me to get moving because if I don’t train, there is no way I can finish the run.
The beauty of this metaphor is that it translates to other areas as well. Relationships, jobs, careers, raising children, raising money, all of these activities require consistency, compelling reasons to act, and self-discipline to keep going. That is the most significant learning for me. This summer while I was training, I was also growing in other areas of my life as well: as a coach a business person, a mother, a wife. I came up with ideas that I am now bringing to life, because of the practice of training for my run. It inspired other areas of my life as well, not just the ½ marathon.
I don’t know if I’ll ever run a full marathon. I won’t say never since I used to say, I’d never run any great distance, but my new watermark is 13.1 miles so never say never. Whether I do or don’t, one thing I now know is that I can if I want to and I know what to do to get there. That’s the real gift. So whether your goal is to lose weight, or start your own business, the first step is to realize that you can do it, if you want to. If you’re not sure how to do it, seek out others in the community who have accomplished that goal, look online for information, or hire a life coach. Share your goals with others, and then get to work. Do something. A favorite quote of mine is, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Become enthusiastic about your life and your goals, share them with others, practice and train and then become unstoppable.