The Edge

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” - Sir Edmund Hillary

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” - Confucious

I feel like I am on the edge of doing wonderful things. I visualize myself up on my tip-toes reaching towards something great and my fingertips graze it but I can't quite grasp it to pull it towards me.  Sometimes the more I reach, the more off balance I get and have to start over again in my quest to reach "it".  "It" is several things for me right now.  "It" is a more challenging job where I am valued, a healthier lifestyle, finding more time to do the things I love, improving my running abilities and doing more for others.  Those are all the things that are important to me.  When I look at the list typed out before me, they don't seem so unattainable yet when I try to do those things in my real life, they aren't quite as easy to come by. 

Perhaps I don't apply myself enough to my endeavors.  Maybe if I tried harder or dedicated more time to running, I would improve.  I remember what it was like when I trained for my marathon a few years ago.  I spent a lot of time alone and missed out on a lot of things because of my training schedule.  I missed dinners with friends, spending time with my dogs (at the time, I only had my two little dogs), weekends with my family and much more.  And in the end, I didn't get to run the race.  But I improved so much as a runner during those months of solo running and training.  I suppose it's really a decision I need to make about what I want and what I am willing to sacrifice to get it.  I remember having to be concerned about what I was eating and when so I would have the proper energy store for my 18 mile long run. Or not being able to go on a super-charged shopping spree the day before a long run because I wanted to make sure my legs and feet were rested properly.  And going to bed early to be ready for my 5 am training run.  Was it worth it?  At the time it sure seemed like it was.

Being on the edge of so much possibility is exciting.  Ultimately, where I go and what I do is up to me.  I get to decide how to make it all happen and that is the hard part.  There aren't ever enough hours in the day for me to do it all.  I like to think that my family and friends will understand if I am out of pocket because I have a long run bright and early on a Saturday morning or because I am working on a writing project or doing volunteer work.  Maybe keeping myself more involved in the things that I truly love will keep me from focusing on the negativity (i.e., my job).  My goal is to try to fill my days with things that I deem as valuable.  And even if I don't get to touch on ALL things that I feel are important on a daily basis, I will at least be edging closer to reaching some of my goals.  Gotta keep moving onward and upward.

Happy Trails,

Valeka  

Patience

Have patience with all things but first of all, with yourself - Saint Francis de Sales

Have patience.  All things are difficult before they become easy - Saadi 

Now that reality has set in and I realize I have signed up for a race, my fun REALLY begins.  I can get very single-minded when it comes to training.  I focus so much on running that I forget that I need to wash dishes, do laundry, put gas in my car and, every once in a while, eat.  I do enjoy the months before a race and everything that is involved like forming a training plan, mapping new routes so that I can include some challenges (especially hills), tracking mileage and creating running schedules.  For lots of people, that part is pretty tedious but I relish it.  I view it as a good opportunity to learn what works for me and what doesn't when it comes to training.  Sure, I could get a training plan from a book or pay someone to do it for me but part of me feels like the victories and failures become more meaningful if I do all of the preparation from inception to completion.  It's kinda like building a garden - you plan it out, enrich the soil, plant the seeds, care for them and enjoy the wonderful things the garden yields for you.  It's very gratifying but requires patience.

The wogging I've been doing is giving me a good foundation to start my training work outs.  I love how running 3 miles seems strenuous at the beginning of the program and by the time race day arrives, those same 3 miles feel more like a warm up.  Our bodies are pretty amazing when you really stop and think about it.  A person can go from being a couch potato to marathoner in a year!  No, really, it can be done with patience, persistence and consistency.  Patience really is key.  I think back on how many times I have given up on things or tossed them aside because I didn't have the patience to see them through to fruition.  There were times that I stopped running because it was taking me too long to get under the 10-minute mile mark and I just didn't want to wait any longer.  How silly was THAT?  In hindsight, I should have toughed it out and kept on working at it instead of giving up.  Who knows what the outcome could have been!  So this time around, I have made a commitment to myself to be patient and to not put that sort of pressure on myself.  My body will let me know when it is ready to do what it needs to do and I will be wise enough to listen.  Anything worth gaining is worth waiting for and gaining a healthy, fit body is worth the wait.  My hope is that my new found patience will trickle over into other aspects of my life as well (hey, it CAN happen!). 

Think about the things in your life that you lose patience with because they are/were taking too long to achieve.  Let your passion for whatever it is you love or want to achieve breed patience.  Take a deep breath and keep moving in the direction your heart tells you is best for you.  The results will be worth it.

Happy Trails,
Valeka