Running 4 Your Life

As I was running down Spearfish Canyon last Sunday taking in the gorgeous view of the rocks, trees, waterfalls, and stream, I had lots of time to reflect. I’m not sure what mile it was exactly, but I think it was around Bridal Veil Falls when the words of Dan Milman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior, popped into my head: “There are no ordinary moments.”

I found myself focused on my surroundings, noticing things that I’ve never noticed before - even though I’ve run this course 2 other times. And, rather than just getting into a “zone” and running - not really thinking about anything - I took in everything my surroundings offered and reflected on all I have to be grateful for. Every moment is special - every moment is a gift.
Running in Spearfish Canyon is a truly extraordinary experience - there are no ordinary moments.

An extraordinary group of women gathered last week for the inaugural Women on the Move Conference & Retreat. We held the retreat in conjunction with the premier all-women Leading Ladies’ Marathon in Spearfish, South Dakota.

And, when I say extraordinary, that is not a strong enough word to describe these women. I cannot give an exact number, but the combined number of marathons and ultramarathons of our group of 10 retreat athletes and 8 coaches is several hundred. And, the list of different marathons, ultras, and hikes reads like a catalog of extreme challenges: Comrades in South Africa, Kilimanjaro, Badwater, Tahoe Triple, various Ironman Triathlons, Pike’s Peak - to name only a handful.

These “super women” (some of whom are 50-staters) aged in range from 39 to 68 with only 6 women under 50 in the whole group of campers and coaches. Women on the Move campers: Bonnie, Isabelle, Diana, Katherine, Anita, Jane, Benita, Laurie, Jean, and Peggy; coaches Kathrine, Jan, Lori, Mary, Chris, Elaine, Rhonda, and me.

Kathrine Switzer, running pioneer who broke the gender barrier at the previously all-male Boston Marathon in 1967, was our featured speaker and guest coach. For 3 days, we had seminars, round table discussions, and training runs. The retreat culminated in the stellar Leading Ladies’ Marathon and Half Marathon with Elaine Doll-Dunn, one of the Women on the Move coaches, as race director. Coach Mary of our group won the Half Marathon in a time of 1:22 (that’s really fast).

I am so inspired by all these wonderful women on the move. They include wives, mothers, grandmothers…all setting examples of facing challenges with dedication, commitment, determination, and personal achievement. I am humbled, grateful, and honored to be a part of such an extraordinary group of Women on the Move.

Last night I read an article called “Chasing Happiness Together: Running and Aristotle’s Philosophy of Friendship.” It’s been a long long time since I read Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, and I should probably revisit it. According to Aristotle, everything we do, we do in pursuit of our ultimate goal - Happiness. And, “friendship” is a critical component of living a virtuous life and ultimately being truly happy.

Aristotle says that developing a friendship based on virtue requires time, familiarity, trust, mutual good will and mutual sacrifice. Running provides a perfect setting for developing friendships. (more…)

My last post mentioned that Fre and I would be stopping in Ogden, Utah - wrong. We decided to bite the bullet and head home. We covered about 1000 miles in our second day in order to make it back home. Good roads and nice weather made the trip easier. 1000 miles in one day is actually my driving PR (personal record). Another milestone in the old travelogue.

But that is not the milestone I have been thinking about today. The Boise Run/Walk group that I help coach has folks who achieve milestones every week. We had athletes today who completed their longest distances EVER today - some 3 miles, some 6 miles, some 17 miles! And, the accomplishment of 17 miles is no greater than the accomplishment of 3 miles…it is just different.

I am continually inspired by the tenacity and dedication of our athletes - and they ARE all athletes.  Some of them don’t yet call themselves athletes, but they will. Each week when they go a little farther than the previous week, they are getting stronger, fitter, and more confident that they can achieve the goal they have set.

I am proud of them all, and I am grateful to be a part of such a terrific group!

My trusty companion, Fremont, and I are back on the road to Idaho. We started yesterday - left Chicago and drove 750 miles to North Platte, Nebraska. It was an excellent day. My hotel accommodations in North Platte were the best I’ve had on this trip - fast internet connection and great customer service at the dog-friendly LaQuinta.

We’re headed to Ogden, Utah, today for one last stop before we are home. I am very grateful to have such a super traveling companion! Fre is the best!

Hills are my friends. I love hills. I will persist until I succeed. I said those things to myself this morning as I ran the hills and humidity of Louisiana. Knowing that I have two races coming up in August that have lots of downhills, my focus is to get stronger and better at hill running - both up and down.

As I was running hills this morning, I thought of how hill running is the perfect metaphor for the things we do everyday. And, how we approach hills is a good indicator of how we deal with other challenges in our lives.

Although I knew that today’s run would be hard, I couldn’t wait to get out there this morning - I looked forward to the challenge. I thought, “How I do anything is how I do everything.” Just saying this helped me as I faced the challenge: I charged up the hills and relaxed on the downs. And, I took one hill at a time and focused on that hill before I turned my attention to the next one. Every time I got to the top of the hill, I felt a sense of accomplishment - I had achieved that goal. How cool is that to achieve 20 accomplishments in one run?

Engaging in any activity that requires me to work harder and draw on inner strength is totally energizing. I am grateful to have the opportunity to test my limits.
You’ve heard people say when they have a tough challenge ahead, “It’s an uphill climb.” And, conversely, when something is easy they say, “It’s all downhill from here.”

I say - Embrace both the ups and downs. We have things to learn from both “hard” and “easy” days. And, keep your eye on the top of the hill - persist until you succeed. Reaching the summit of every hill in your life is the achievement of yet another goal.

You have probably heard the expression, “What you think about expands.” For example, if you focus on all the things that are not going right in your life, that’s exactly what you’ll see more of. Instead, if you focus on all the things that are right and are grateful for whatever appears, then you will see an abundance of good things.

Anytime you allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, you are lowering your energy level and making it easier for more negative, or bad, things to “get in.” On May 1st, I talked about how negative thoughts weaken us. I hit a rough patch in my recent marathon around mile 21. I could have gotten frustrated, mad, down on myself, and given up - knowing that I wasn’t going to meet my target finishing time. But instead, I pushed through the rough patch and persisted. I didn’t run the race I had originally hoped for, but I ran a great race. And, instead of being upset about it, I focused on all the terrific things that happened that day - top of the list, finishing my 15th marathon without injury.

Everyday I focus on how grateful I am in a Gratitude Journal - I record just one (of many) things that I am grateful for that day. And, because what I think about expands, everyday brings something new to be grateful for.

Give it a try - Start keeping a Gratitude Journal, and you will be amazed at what shows up in your life!

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Eugene, Oregon - Sunday, May 4, 2008 - Sunny skies, 45 degrees at the start, 65 degrees at the finish. Fresh green grass. Wilamette River on one side of the path, dense trees on the other. Who could ask for a more perfect day or location for a marathon?

I wasn’t sure what I’d be writing about today with regard to my marathon experience. Did I run my target time? Nope. Was I disappointed? Oddly, not really. Am I really sore today? Let’s just say that stairs are not my friends today. Did I give it my all? You betcha. Did I run the race I was meant to run? Of course - to believe anything different would be crazy.

Sometimes we can have the best training ever, do everything right leading up to the race - and even during the race - and… (more…)

All the things I’ve been talking about in my blog up until now converge these few days before the Eugene Marathon. I’m now in the home stretch leading up to race day, and as I prepare for the actual “event,” I reflect on the past 6 months of training:

How you do anything is how you do everything: I commit to a goal, I stay focused, I am disciplined, I manage my time, and I persist until I succeed.

You can’t do it alone: Rarely does anyone achieve any meaningful success on their own. Coach Scott has worked with me for the past 6 months helping me get stronger both physically and mentally. My husband, who often asks, “Can’t we just go on a vacation without having to run a race?” has hung out with me on my long runs setting water along the path so I didn’t have to carry a waterbelt. My kids and friends have listened to me talk about my track workouts, my tempo runs, and my long runs - even when some of them don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.

Everyday we’re tested: I’ve trained through a cold and snowy Idaho winter - one of the coldest in a long time (I hear). I thought training in Idaho would be a piece of cake compared to training in Chicago during the winter. Idaho was no bargain. Cold, snow, ice, rain, wind. I probably ran only half a dozen runs… (more…)

Every connection we make has a purpose, whether it’s a connection with a person, an animal, or nature. Clearly, we don’t always recognize the purpose at the time, and many we may never recognize. But if you reflect on some of the connections you’ve made in your life, you’ll discover the purpose of the encounter and maybe realize that you learned something in the process.

I keep a journal of the connections that I recognize, and it’s amazing how

• one person leads to another who provides just the thing you were looking for…
• then someone recommends a book…
• you get the book and learn something from that book that is exactly what you needed to hear right then…
• someone tells you about an event…
• you go to the event and meet someone who later becomes a friend or a client…

When you become aware that everything and everyone is connected…, (more…)