Maturity in Running

So today I ran a simple 6 mile run.  Puts me up to 1558 total.  Still on US 54 in Oklahoma.

Today, as on the past several days when I have run, I noticed one very important thing.  Sometimes training is about being fast.  Sometimes training is about running hard.  Sometimes training is about running a target pace over and over again.  And sometimes running is just about being out there at a reasonable speed, being on my feet, and putting in the time.  Yesterday and today were days like that.

Not particularly fast.

Approximately 45 minute workout yesterday.  Approximately 51 minutes today.  And just moving along.

But sometimes that is a part of being a runner.

More importantly, sometimes that is part of being a mature runner. I would say that this is the year my adult running move out of its adolescence.  In the adolescence of my running, I thought everything had to be fast.  Not true.  Not true at all.  And in fact that is probably a good way to get injured and not be able to run as much as I’d like in the long term.    

On Sunday evening, after I wrote my last entry but before I posted it, I attended a confirmation information meeting for my middle son.  Some starting videos made the comment that was something like “don’t get confirmed—be confirmed.”  As a variation on the theme, I believe that “Live confirmed” was also mentioned.

For running, I have reached a point at which I don’t just “run a marathon”.  I live the life of a marathoner.

Eat moderately well.

Sleep kind of enough.

Run a lot.

Focus on running.

Focus on doing the workouts that are planned.

Focus on a plan to execute on race day.

Carry this over into the rest of my life.

Even mentoring.

In mentoring I share both personal and professional insights into what makes the world go around and how I work.  And how I succeed.  And how I balance life and work.  Although when I was talking with someone I formerly mentored today, I mentioned that I don’t think of it just as work-life balance.  Rather I think of it as balancing work with multiple parts of life.  Personal pursuits.  Marriage.  Kids.  (I could add spiritual pursuits to the list.)  That makes at least four things.

Sometimes even without work it would be hard to balance personal pursuits, marriage, and kids.  What makes me go around?  What makes my marriage go around?  What makes my kids go around?  And how much do they overlap or conflict?  And how much can I do it all?

The simple answer is that I cannot do it all.  But I recognize that sometimes I do a lot and sometimes a little.  Sometimes I focus on one elemtns and sometimes on another.  In the same way that I have many different workouts, I also have many different things on which to focus in my life. 

And I hope that by taking the time to focus on each in turn and as appropriate, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and life will be good.  Just like my running.