One Lace at a Time

I am a runner. I love the feeling of pride and satisfaction after finishing an 18-mile long run, pushing through 800-meter repeats, or enjoying a relaxing run on the greenbelt. I love crossing paths with another runner on a trail, making eye contact, and giving one another a slight head nod of acknowledgement. It is a brief signal that says to each other, “I know what you are going through right now. I know the pain you are pushing through. Keep up the great work”. There is no greater pride than knowing you have pushed every physical limit in your body to achieve a set goal.

As much as I love to run, I find myself in a daily battle with myself to lace up my shoes, and walk out the door to start my training. Every day I go through the same process. You would think an activity that I find so much satisfaction in would be easy to stay motivated. But it is a daily struggle. And the funny thing is that once I take the first few strides of the run I instantly am reminded why I love to run. I begin to feel proud of my training, and excited for the next milestone I will hit in my progress. Even if my legs are dead sore from the day before, I know that the recovery run I am doing will further my development and increase my stamina. The hardest part of the run is getting my shoes on and heading out the door.

I tell myself that if I wake up early it would make everything so much easier. I could get my run done for the day, and have the luxury of my evenings after work to do as I please. But, most days when the alarm goes off at 4:45, the snooze button gets hit. I still have the evenings to run, and I do run as I had planned about 90% of the time. It is the other 10% of the time that the struggle comes into play. I know that if I don’t run as soon as I get home from work, it is not going to happen. If I get home, change clothes and put on sweats instead of running shorts, it becomes too easy to take the day off, and the run doesn’t occur. If I turn on the TV when I get home instead of lacing up my shoes, the likelihood that I will stay on the couch instead of hitting the asphalt significantly increases.

I have to believe that there are thousands of other people who deal with this same problem. I think about this often when I am running. For some people the struggle may not involve running. Perhaps for some, their passion involves playing an instrument but they struggle with the dedication to practice each day. Maybe another person desperately wants to educate themselves further, but can’t resist the urge to turn on the television rather than picking up a book. I know there are many who want to lose that last ten pounds, but can’t ever stick to their diet plan. I ponder these things as I run on neighborhood sidewalks or hop over fallen tree branches on a muddy park trail. Every time I always end up at the same conclusion. The true champions are those who are willing to fight off the urge, who have in internal drive to be the best, and who have the mental toughness to realize it’s the second-by-second, minute-by-minute, day-by-day grind that must be taken to achieve the final results that one so desires.

Everyone wants to participate in the culminating activity, whether it is the Friday Night football game, the Marathon Race, the Opening Production of the Play, or the Academic Achievement Award. But only those individuals who have shown true dedication and a desire for excellence can excel in these moments. In the one instance when they have the opportunity to shine, these individuals have the strength of preparation to depend upon.

There are many others who have dreamt about that moment in the spotlight, but who have not put in the time and dedication, who do not have the commitment, and who often discover that they failed to meet their expectations. Everyone wants to live in those rare moments of success. But those rare moments really only occur for the individuals who have prepared themselves for those occasions - physically, mentally and emotionally.

It is this realization that forces me to continuing tying up my laces. When I train solo, I have to remind myself how gratifying it is to set a Personal Record in a road race, and that each workout will help me achieve that end result. I also need to occasionally remind myself of the pain, torment and agony that is tied to losing and that the lack of preparation will bring back those emotions. Undeniably there are going to be days where I question why I am putting in 65+ miles per week. There are going to be occasional days that am invited to a work Happy Hour and skip my daily run. For others, there are going to be days that they might miss their piano practice, don’t get a chance to read the next chapter of a book they started, or had a “cheat day” on their diet. But, the true test of a champion is one who can bounce back and prove him/herself the next day and on a daily basis.

So, for now, I will continue with my daily struggle of getting my shoes on and heading out the door. It is the struggle that makes the success so much greater.