There are many paths to progress and the most important parts of being “prepared” are really parts of your attitude.
This blog is part of my Client Stories - Real people who take on challenges, overcome them, and inspire myself and others along the way.
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“I’m not a runner. I can’t run. I’m really slow. I’m a big guy! I can’t go this fast!”
This was only a sample of the slew of statements George managed to say in a perfect measured steady voice while we were running the first stretch of our training run.
“How far are we running?” He continued.
I picked up my pace. We were doing run-walk intervals and if he could speak that well during the run interval, we obviously were not running fast enough. Little did he know he was going to receive exactly what he had asked for weeks before.
“I’ve always wanted to do a race but I need to lose weight before I start. Then, I’m going to do a 5k.” He had mentioned at the end of one of our sessions.
This was new to me! We had been training for a few months in the studio but he had never mentioned a desire to run. As a marathon runner and running coach, this was music to my ears! I thoroughly enjoy taking my clients on training runs and races.
“George, we can totally start now!” I had replied. “You don’t have to be fast. You don’t have to run the entire time. When I first started running, all my runs were run-walks. My first two marathons I ran-walked. Let’s head out to Pena Adobe for a training run!”
So there we were at 5 AM, as the sun was rising, on the trail. Sometimes it may seem like we are not ready to set a goal because we feel we are lacking something necessary to even begin. But if we can look past and stop obsessing with how we want something to come into fruition in our lives and instead be open to the possibilities of how we can actually get there, we may just find ourselves in the process of living out dreams we have silenced and put on snooze until a better time in the future.
At the end of our run, I finally answered George.
“A 5k, 3.1 miles. George, you just did a 5k.” A man who had never run before then because he didn’t think he could. Who was reluctant to even try because he thought he needed to see a certain number on the scale first. Yet, there we were.
Whether it’s running or some other goal in our lives, we can at times subscribe to unnecessary criteria for us to be ready to even try. Sometimes that criteria might include feeling that we don’t “look” the part. Sometimes there is a pesky voice that tries to put us down by asking “Who do you think you are?” Sometimes we think there is only one way forward and we have to be prepared in a very specific way to even take one step.
But here is what I’ve found with each person I’ve ever trained:
There are many paths to progress and the most important parts of being “prepared” are really parts of your attitude. Are you open and willing? Yes? Are you willing to grow and learn? Yes? Then, let’s hit the trail together because standing here is doing nothing for either of us.
Today, is there an area in your life that is inviting you to grow, to learn, to be open and willing? If so, why not give it a try? An honest, full effort try. Who knows. Maybe you’ll run a 5k.
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Photo Credit: Sherwood411 CC By-SA 2.0