Parallels in Running and Work Life

Four days since the last time I wrote.  And so much to think about.

Thursday, I did a nice track workout with 8x200, all under 40, increasing speed as I went along.

Friday, I did an easy 4 just to keep the legs loose.

Saturday, I tried once again to prove that all the track work, all the hill work, and my general approach to training would, in fact, lead to a sub-19.  And again, I didn’t make it.  The splits were not horrible.  But I ran a 19:36.  I can say now that I am done that 5000 meters at race pace on the track is not easy alone.  Even early in the morning.  Even on a flat surface.  My legs were tight.  I probably should have taken a day off this week.  And my stomach tightened at about 2/3 of the way through.  I had eaten late the night before and stayed up late. Perhaps I really will never go sub-19 again.  But in the end, it doesn’t matter.  I’ve learned a lot along the way.

So, this morning, I ran an easy 8—average pace just over 8:30.  I’m up to a total of 877 miles for the year.  That puts me on Old Manchester Rd as it swerves off Manchester Rd/Missouri Route 100/US-66.  So, I will be back at US-66 and then on US-50.  The connection with US-50 is interesting as it will take me through about 30 miles of running.  Driving, I’ll be on a much different part of US-50 next week as we go to Ocean City, Maryland, for the final lacrosse tournament of the 2014 spring season.

I share some thoughts about my running issues with someone who has been sharing my running journey.  There are some interesting parallels between my work life and my running life.  In my work life, we have a performance review system in which the supervisor is asked to provide goals, name strengths, list watch outs, and suggest important networks. 

For strengths my boss listed attention to detail, creativity, and connectivity.  I think that these are well reflected in my running as well as my work life.  I love data.  I love to analyze carefully what I have been running and what I need to run.  I try to make every workout just right.  (And I have found that I get something positive out of making every workout just right even if I do not meet my racing goals.  It shows that I am focused on the journey or process just as much as I am on the outcome.)  On the creativity and connectivity side, the connectivity is with people in the case of work.  I have also found ways to connect with people in my running.  And the creativity is finding ways to link running to all sorts of other things and write about the connections and ideas. 

For watch outs, he listed three: pacing for productivity, “getting to win,” and professional image.  The last translates into “maybe your academic writing has gotten you this far but you will need to ‘look good’ to get further—but some more suits.”  OK.  Does that relate at all to running?  Maybe.  I definitely think of myself as looking more like a serious runner in how I dress for my running now than I used to.  Pacing for productivity—faster decision making, more decisive, get things done.  I can relate to that in my running although the pacing for running can be up or down.  The key is getting it right.  Finally, on the “getting to win” point.  I’m not sure I’d call that having a “killer instinct” but there is an element of completion.  There is an element of seeing things through.  There is an element of making certain that things happen.  Mental toughness to see things through.  Again, I can relate it to my running inasmuch as I clearly have to get better at not just doing the workouts and preparation but at making sure that all is done well—including the “final presentation” (or the race).

For networking, there was a focus on networking with leaders in my performance review.  I think that hanging with very good runners is something that I have been doing and continue to do and finding the right runners to help me improve my own running is also key. 

The parallels between my work life and my running life are not entirely surprising.  What you see is what you get. Someone who pays attention a lot.  Someone who tries very hard.  Someone who can work step by step.  But someone who sometimes finds it challenging to bring everything together and produce an excellent and expected final outcome. 

What Does the Term Recreational Running Really Mean?

A bit of time ago a running friend of mine suggested that after the latest injury this person had suffered, the future might only hold recreational running.  I thought this was an interesting concept--what is recreational running compared with any other type of running.

So, I went to dictionary-dot-com and looked up recreational.  Of course, it reads something like "of or having to do with recreation."  So, I look up recreation and we find that it has to do with something yielding relaxation and enjoyment.

By that definition, I'm a recreational runner.

Do I have goals?  Yes, but that doesn't make it any less relaxing or enjoyable.

Do I sometimes run pretty hard?  Sure, but that doesn't mean it is not enjoyable and it is still a way to relax some parts of my life.

Do I race and intend to continue racing?  Sure--still enjoyable.

If I was told I had to run slower or less frequently would that change any of this?  As long as I could run injury-free, I think that the answer is no.  I would still find it relaxing and enjoyable.

An injury could make it not so relaxing or enjoyable.  But if I were injured and could return from the injury at any level of running, I would still find it fulfilling and I would adjust my goals.  Disappointed--sure.  But I don't see much difference in whether it would be recreational or not.

One other thing that I recognize is how much the recreation (enjoyability and relaxation) does require at least a little diversification compared with what I had been doing for quite some time.  I enjoy having a core set of runners with whom I work out.  A core set who can push me to run my strongest--as that is such an important component of what makes running enjoyable for me.

But over the past two weekends, I have run distances (3.5 miles in one case and 18 in another) with individuals with whom I either had not run anything close to that before or at least had not run with for a couple years.  

What that has led me to realize is how much diversification can help.  Different speeds.  Different styles.  Different goals.  Different perspectives.  Different stories to share.  Each of those adds to the value in terms of relaxation and enjoyment.  

One friend I passed this morning pointed out how "late" (it wasn't even 8:30 yet when we passed) it was for me.  Yes, I will have to adjust my running once the fall arrives as my youngest will have ice hockey and I teach Sunday school at 9:15.  That is true.

However, the more people I can choose from to run with, the easier it will be to find someone with whom to go on a run at any start time (at least in the AM) on any day.  And enjoy all the stories, perspectives, styles, and paces that may come my way.

And if I look around, I have several groups to link with.  Some more formally than others.  Some more frequently than others.  And some that I have been in touch with more recently than others.  But when all is said and done, I have a wide variety of individuals with whom I can run a wide variety of distances with different goals in mind.

That is one of the other beauties of what running means for me right now.  Since I have achieved most of the "big" goals (getting to Boston and running it), I now am not "goal-less" but sort of in between as I wait to determine what my next "big goal" if any should be. I can always run faster.  I can continue to improve. Or I can just continue to use running as a creative and exciting way to have an excuse to eat the bread and cheese I love, to make friends, to keep my cardio in health check, and to clear my mind.

I just hope the people I run with feel the same. 

Outsiders and Creativity

Despite being on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University, I don't always read the Johns Hopkins magazine (a publication for alumni, students, faculty, etc.) every time I get it.  A couple days ago, I was trying to straighten up some of the mess that is "my stuff" at home and paged through the magazine coming upon an interesting article about whether "outsiders" are more creative.  It was fascinating as it told the story of a paper by Sharon Kim, a faculty member at the Carey Business School, who had done a study that produced evidence consistent with the idea that "rejection is not merely a byproduct of the fact that creative people can be unconventional but that the experience itself may promote creativity."  (For the record, I am quoting the article which directly quotes the paper by Professor Kim and two colleagues.)  The article concludes with a quote from Professor Kim as she thinks "the hero in this story is independence.  That is something that people don't talk about often, the benefits of being different...I think that identifying the ways in which being independent can foster creativity is important."

The article was also careful to note that not everyone who is an outsider is necessarily creative and that not all situations that make someone feel like an outsider necessarily result in greater creativity.  That was definitely neither the article's purpose nor the conclusion of Dr. Kim's research.

What is interesting for me to ponder what this means in my own life. It is neither Biblical nor religious at all, yet the search for meaning fits perfectly with my Augustinian spirituality.  In any case, I think about feeling like an outsider (in some ways) in high school and playing Dungeons and Dragons.  The latter (known as D&D back in the day) was not necessarily creativity for the good of society, but it did involve creativity.  I think about leaving the hard sciences after my freshman year at Penn State and after spending what felt like years in high school preparing for and switching to health policy as an "outsider".  That led to seeing things in ways that may have been a little different.  I eventually moved into "health economics" and the economics part particularly having been admitted to the School of Public Health at Michigan first and then joining the economics department and coming at things a bit differently.  Even my success at Johns Hopkins in the Bloomberg School of Public Health--successful as a researcher, yes, but with a love of teaching that is not as highly rewarded as if I were at a small liberal arts college, and the creativity and new thinking that I have brought to my teaching.

Am I saying that I have been perfect in any of these tasks with extra creativity?  No.  Am I saying that I was ever as wildly creative as Steve Jobs--of course not and I will never be?  Am I saying that I am always an outsider--no.  I just tend to come at things from the outside and then hang around long enough to become an insider.  What is interesting is that once I become an insider new opportunities appear for me to find a way to come at something new from the outside and take a fresh look.  It may or may not benefit society--or even my little niche within society.  But I find the new challenges refreshing, uplifting, and amazing.

What will happen when I turn the next corner?  Who knows--but I'm sure it will be interesting, whatever it is.