Running Away from the Thief of Joy

 

Run Better With Groups and Get Back Your Joy

I got back with my running group today.

 It’s a local training program for those eager to exhaust themselves in either a half or a full marathon. I’ve done a few half marathons but never a full. I wasn’t sure if I’d want to go that far but here I am. A marathon is a grueling affair even for those who’ve done them before. I won’t downplay the half but it doesn’t have the same level of suck as the full.

 But comparison is the thief of joy and I’m just happy to be training for anything.

There is something in any organized run that pushes you to finish strong. It could be the fans standing along the street waving banners and handing you drinks. It could be the others around you in various states of exhaustion. It could be a combination of both.

But before the event starts you have to practice even when it's uncomfortable.

New Levels New Goals

Training programs are designed to get you to run at a slower pace and strengthen your legs for a longer haul. In the past I’ve tried running at the same pace for longer and longer distances. But it breaks down at a certain point. Your legs won’t survive at the late race stage unless you’ve practiced it a few times. That probably sounds obvious but for me it’s been a revelation. My old mindset is just get there as fast as possible, Army PT style. Also, I’ve never trained at such long distances. My focus is always on the 13.1 miles and not an inch more.

But with patience comes strength. With strength comes endurance and with endurance you can do what you never thought. I’m not just talking about running. This is a lesson for life and it’s probably why I enjoy the training so much. Looking back at difficult seasons will build a sense of confidence you can’t get any other way. The first time I did any writing for money I had to rethink how I organized information. I read up on the particulars of web writing and arranging concepts along SEO (Search Engine Optimization) principles. 

It all made perfect sense until I had to submit my work. It was then that my notion of quality work took a hit. Different skills require different muscles. Eventually I got it.

Read all the books you want on any subject, eventually you’ll have to apply what you learned.

 In running it looks like competition. In life it looks like risk. Failure is a certainty some of the time, but it doesn’t have to define you.

Build on the Past

I failed to hit my last goal of a sub 2-hour half marathon. I finished just 2 minutes shy. But I was closer than my last time of 2:15. What’s the best way to view that failure? As an improvement of 13 minutes. That’s a whole minute per mile. Not to mention, I hustled under the finish banner running hard. Before that day I’d nearly collapsed in a heap of raw legs and B.O. at the slower time. I started looking around for the ambulance in case I needed an IV. Because of the different experiences I’ve had to rein in my expectations a little bit and not get frustrated when I have a poor showing.

Training is where you work out the kinks and sometimes you need to hit pause. It’s been two years since I joined a group, choosing to go it alone. I did this because an injury that didn’t go away. I tried to massage it and roll out the arch, I bought new shoes and stayed off my feet as much as possible. I scanned websites for information and watched YouTube for advice. Nothing worked except prayer. Eventually the pain left and I got back to a regular schedule on my own. Now I need the discipline of progressive distances and the support of friends committed to the same goal.

Conclusion

When life mirrors running we get to see wins. Some seasons we go it alone, afraid of getting hurt. But community is where the growth happens even if we think we don’t need it. I've benefited from writing forums as much as running clubs. Winning in life looks like maturity and accepting responsibility in all areas of life. The way to determine improvement is to look back.

If comparison is the thief of joy, we should track our own progress and let God determine our steps.