The Spirituality of Advent, Day 3, Week 3

Today's workout on the treadmill at the hotel in London was another 6.2 miles at an 8 min/mile pace.  Nice and easy for me.  I realized once again last nice when speaking with a colleague from the Vision Impact Institute that what is easy for me is not necessarily easy for everyone else.  I have to remember that 8 minutes per mile is about 5 minutes per kilometer or 12 kilometers per hour.  And I consider that just a nice, comfortable workout. My colleague was talking about running at most 10 kilometers per hour.  And she noted that she felt much more comfortable running 9 kilometers per hour.  (She thinks in kilometers per hour because she is from France.)  I told her there is nothing wrong with that.  The key is just getting out there and doing something.  She is in training for a 15 kilometer race in February.

This morning, I realized again the pure joy of running and why it is so important to me.  The sign on the fitness room said 24/7. So I went at just past 5:30.  My key card didn't open the door.  So I went to the front desk and was told that someone would have to come open it for me because it was before 6 AM.  I didn't realize that it would be considered early.  And for the entire 49:36 I was running, no one else entered the fitness room.  It is always interesting to me to see how few people use the fitness rooms at some hotels where I stay.  There is a big difference between US hotels and non-US hotels.  Much more activity in US hotels than non-US, at least in my experience.  I don't know if that means American enjoy exercise more.  Or maybe Americans do more exercise--enjoyed or forced.  It is just an observation.  And I am one of the those who really enjoy running.

So, I enjoyed my run.  If I didn't, I would not spend the time.  I would not go out of my way to get the fitness room door open.

People ask me what I do when I run on the treadmill.  Lots of mental math.  How far have I run?  How many minutes left?  How many seconds left?  How much distance left?  When will I get to the next milestone-whatever a "milestone" might be?  And I check my breathing.  And I check my stride.  And I look around.  I take in the world.  I think about what I will write.  I think about the next run.  I think about family.  I think about work.  My mind wanders.  

And most of all I thank God for the gift of running.

And I realize how my running is connected to the running of so many others today.  And so many others in the past.  And our human ancestors.  Another part of being something "bigger".  A long history of people who run.  Run to race.  At high schools.  In colleges.  In the olympics.  Run to catch dinner.  Run to be safe.  A whole history.  Survival.  Enjoyment.  

Life.

Spirit.  

40 Days to Better: Day 28

On day 28, I feel like I am entering into the home stretch of this 40 day period that I have designated as 40 Days on the Road to Better. This morning was another very pleasant morning for an 8 mile run.  During the run I saw the clouds colored pink on the underside on the eastern horizon at one point and the horizon itself colored a brilliant yellow-orange a bit later.  It was a wonderful and relaxing run that allowed me to get my stresses out and come home feeling that things are right in the world.

Thinking about the warm feelings associated with the pink and orange colors I saw in the sky this morning, I want to combine two themes.  One is being thankful--or more precisely showing gratitude.  The other is my Dean's favorite expression, "More, better, faster" (what he always wants his management team to focus on) or the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius" or "Faster, Higher, Stronger." 

For gratitude, there is a video on Upworthy that I saw someone post. I have not gone to the source of the original article, but the video describes an experiment that was done.  I will summarize.  The experiment involved administering an instrument to measure happiness (however that might be done).  Then, people were asked to think of someone to whom they were grateful.  Then they were asked to write about it.  Then they were asked to call the person to tell them.  Then the instrument to measure happiness was readministered, although with the questions and order changed just enough to not be recognized as the same instrument.  The gist of the findings.  People who did not complete the call were a little happier.  People who did complete the call were a lot happier  The people who gained the most happiness were the least happy to begin with.  Pretty amazing stuff.

It is a great feeling to validate my efforts over time to tell people how grateful I am for what they have done for me.  A guidance counselor.  A teacher.  A parent.  A professor.  A mentor.  A colleague.  A coach.  My wife.  And the biggest difference it seems to make is when I am feeling down.

So where do "more, better, faster" and "citius, altius, fortius" come in?  Well, it is part of being on the road to better.  There is always room for improvement.  Always room to get better.  Always room for more.  Always room to make sure I tell people about my gratitude sooner to the time they actually do the thing for which I am grateful.

Gratefulness doesn't have to be "stored up" and then poured out all at once.  It can make a big impact when I do something like that.  And I may still do something like that even if I express gratitude as I go along.  But it is also important to express gratitude on a daily basis.  For me to thank people for the little things.  For me to share the joy of thanking people  Because ultimately, saying thank you brings me joy.

I don't know whether other people find the same joy in saying thank you.  Perhaps this scientific study suggests that many other people actually do.  I sure hope so.  And I hope that I can follow my own advice to raise the bar on my thankfulness and bring that joy to myself and to others. 

Who's the Mentor?

You may be asking whether this is a question I am posing seriously or something else?  And in relation to what?  Well, it is the name of the two person relay team I am participating in on Thanksgiving weekend.  Last year, I ran a full marathon that weekend and was blessed enough to almost qualify for Boston.  That is when my idea of my first tattoo (and its eventual evolution toward St. Sebastian and Irene) began.

This year, I will be running on the same course, but as part of a two person relay team that will run that distance.  I'll run half. My teammate will run half.  We registered as a team called, "Who's the Mentor?"

Why?

Well, for the past year and some, I have been a professional for her.  I won't claim to be the only as I imagine she has some mentors within the organization for which she works.  I have been her mentor with respect to public health and economics and her MPH studies.  As someone who is already married with kids (with her about to get married) I have also tried to be a good example (although I would not necessarily claim mentor) about life in general.  Work-life balance.  Doing what you love and loving what you do.  And so on.

She has been my running mentor.  I have seen her struggle.  Not with every race, but with some races, starting last Labor Day.  She has had a year of a few downs and mostly ups (at least in the races in which I have crossed paths with her).  Despite any downs here and there she always comes back.  And, I take a few lessons from that:

(1) Never give up.  I don't think I do, but she has set a great example of how not to give up and how keeping on coming back can lead to even better things eventually.

(2) Fix what's wrong.  She identified what her issues were for running and she fixed them.  That has made her an even stronger runner as far as I can tell.  This is a lesson I should take after a summer of runs that were by no means bad but were not quite what I'd expected.

(3) Be confident.  This is not to say act prideful.  This is not to say, act "cocky".  This is just to say that when I have done all the work and I know I can finish--I should never let that thought leave my mind.

(4) Be generous.  She not only participates in running--she gives through her running. She encourages others.  She is there for others.  I try to be as well.  I certainly do so on the academic side of the world.  I just have to remember that not only is there more to life in general than academics, but there is more to being a good person and all that God has called me to be than academics.

(5) Be thankful.  My teammate never fails to thank anyone she runs with--as far as I can tell.  Whether it is a workout on the track.  A long slow distance run.  A tempo run.  Anywhere, anytime.  She thanks those around her who help her have positive experiences in the world.  I try to do so, but I don't think I remember all the time.

Moving forward, if I follow the five points above--even better than I am following them now--even if I never have another lifetime personal best time at any distance--I will be a better runner, a better person, and someone who enjoys my running and life more as I bring a positive attitude to my little corner of the world.

I hope I can live up to it.