I love to run races! I have run 1-milers, 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Duathlons (bike and run), Spring Triathlons (swim, bike, run) and a Spartan (Obstacle) Race. I have competed by myself when I did not know any of the other participants, and I have competed with family and friends. There is joy and camaraderie among the participants at these races. I have had tears in my eyes when hearing the National Anthem, when fireworks are shot off at the beginning of the Columbus Marathon, high fiving the hands of patients from Nationwide Children's Hospital or their family members. When I am doubting my ability to finish a race, the spirit and enthusiasm of participants and spectators provides renewed energy so I can continue to press on to the finish.
There is much to be learned from these races that can be
applied to our lives.
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We all move at different paces. The pace in which we move is right for us at
that time. When I have been training
consistently, my pace has been faster. When
I was younger, I was faster. I will be
slower with a headwind, faster with a tailwind.
Life is the same. At times, we
are moving briskly, everything is going for us.
Then BAM something gets in our way to slow us down. It is important to keep moving, no matter the
pace. When we continue to take steps
towards our goals, we are still moving in the right direction.
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We are all running a different race. Perhaps you question that – in a 5K race,
isn’t everyone running the same race?
Not exactly. I have asked those
around me in races their reason for running: one person’s goal was to complete
the race no matter the time, another runner wanted to set a personal record
(PR), another runner was running in memory of a friend. Everyone’s reasons for
running that day were different. Same
with life, my goals are not your goals, nor are your goals my goals.
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We are in this together – The year that my
daughters and I decided to run the Columbus Half-Marathon for the first time, I
found a training schedule and kept to it.
My daughters’ training was not as consistent. On race day, my younger daughter and I were
having an easy time of the race. My
older daughter was struggling and told us not to wait for her. We chose to stick together, no matter the
pace. When you are struggling in life,
look around, there are others who will encourage you and stay by your side for
as long as needed.
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Mental game – Your mind will give up long before
your body. At a recent race, I was
feeling sluggish and ready to walk rather than run. When I want to stop, I catch myself and use
different mental tricks to keep going. I
convinced myself to run until the next streetlight. When I got there, I told myself to go a bit
further. Eventually, I worked through the
hesitation and completed the race. We
have to talk ourselves through many aspects of our lives – courage to start
something new, to persist when times get tough, do things that are not fun but
necessary. What we say to ourselves can
make or break us. Keep it positive and
encouraging.
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Consistency in Preparation – The best are not
always the ones that succeed, success comes from consistency - consistent with
their training, positive thoughts. When
the weather is bad, they adapt their training by running on a treadmill or
wearing raingear during a run. Along
with the running, they prepare their body with strength training, stretching,
and good diet. They have a vision and
consistently take steps towards reaching that goal. Whatever the goal may be, do the challenging
work daily. The consistency compounds in
success.
What race are you running?
Which areas do you need to strengthen?
Self-leadership is the key. A Self-Leadership Coach can help you master
self-care, stop sabotaging new habits, and develop self-leadership skills to
help you succeed in the race of life.
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