Sometimes You Just Gotta Show Up

As we wrap up the year, we tend to be retrospective in all we have accomplished over the year. From increased distances to PR’s to overcoming injuries, we’ve become better runners. Many of us accomplished goals we never dreamed possible – our photos from the Chicago Marathon speak volumes for those of us who never believed we had what it took physically and mentally to run 26.2 miles – all in one day! Despite all we’ve accomplished, there always seems to be a few things left undone – those goals we didn’t quite make.

Some of you were unable to attempt or complete a marathon due to injuries or other obstacles. Some of us didn’t run all the races we intended or do as well as we had wanted at the ones we did race. PR’s may have been out of reach, or perhaps we didn’t lose the weight we expected. Some of us struggled with our commitment to ourselves in terms of maintaining training schedules, balancing running with the rest of our lives, or keeping a positive attitude.

But runners tend to be very goal-oriented, and that’s why we continue to make plans for the next event – whether it be trying a new distance, incorporating different workouts to make us stronger and faster, or finding the most unique racing experience we can – from River to River relays to Muddy Buddy to triathlons to qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I already have my training log ready to go for 2007, browsed the Internet for triathlons, and signed up for the Indy Half-Marathon. It’s fun to make these kinds of plans.

So why do we make these plans? Why compete at all? Most of us aren’t winning any awards. We’re middle of the packers at best. It isn’t easy for us. We struggle through training, through self-doubt, through injuries for which we just cannot seem to find the right answers. Our goals seem to be focused more on the experiences of running rather than the end result. Race after race, we lace up our shoes – pin on a number and join the rest of our friends just for the fun of it. None of us really seem to care a whole lot about how many points we have or if we receive a trophy or not. We’re the runners who check out what kind of T-Shirt is being given out and what kind of food and beverage is served afterwards. How many of us would show up on Saturday mornings if we knew Panera was out of bagels??? Be honest – how many of you wanted to run the Abe’s Amble 10K in a time good enough that there would still be cold beer and bagels left in the tent!?

Seriously, though, we measure our successes in terms of collective experiences both from the challenges we’ve overcome on our own but in the good times we’ve had along the way with each other.

In 2006, I found the strength and more importantly, the motivation, to tackle the many challenges that come my way. I've also found ways to reach out to new runners through Girls on the Run, Abe's Army, and people I've met on the road. As I set my goals for the upcoming year, I won’t forget to make them all about new experiences - new places, new races, new friends. Getting faster and stronger will come with the proper training. But the friendships and sense of purpose and accomplishment in our training will only come if we consciously direct our goals toward taking both the good days and the bad days in stride and remember why we do this all in the first place. We face getting burned out if our goals are simple based on the clock. Those of us who find satisfaction simply in the power of our own footsteps and in our hearts will be doing this for a very long time – fast or slow, it’s all still forward motion, one step at a time. All we have to do is show up.

Hey HalfWits! What is your proudest “running” moment of 2006? What goals did you make but fell just slightly short? What are your goals for 2007?

See you all on the road - soon, I hope.
Mary

PS - Merry Christmas and God's blessings for the New Year.