The saga of the Penguin and the Griz continues. It will end before you hear from me the next time. Next Sunday is the day after the race. We will know only then what happened and what didn’t.
Nevertheless, the journey goes on. Several weeks ago, we introduced Martin Seligman’s book, Learned Optimism. We discovered that a hopeful outlook maintains our motivation and boosts our performance.
We also found that optimism is realistic. It knows that things don’t always turn out our way. If reality derails the objective, or if the cost of success is too great, the optimist confidently seeks another option.
I have written about my running buddies, Ann and Jane. We have run a number of half marathons together and have supported one another’s journey as Penguins at the back of the pack. We decided a year ago to converge on Choteau for the Griz. As reality unfolded, I was the last Penguin standing (until I fell).
Ann took a job in another state, and changed her summer running goal. Then she popped a calf muscle. She is recovering in the land of ice, ibuprofen, and cross training while she re-calculates.
Jane found that work and family commitments expanded, expanded, and expanded some more. They filled the time and overflowed. Eventually we agreed that running the Griz would yield to priorities closer to the center of importance.
Then, on one of my final training runs, I fell on a rock. I have been Googling deep muscle bruises and am seeking professional advice. The data do not reassure me about running next week. Though holding onto a thread of hope, I too am re-calculating.
This is about Buddies. We have talked about Buddies who cheer us on, helping us overcome discouragement, keeping the goal in view. The time comes when Buddies also help us deal with the need for re-evaluating our goals and setting new ones. Buddies know, perhaps even before we do, that the time has come to step back and take the longer view of success.
Who do you trust for support when you face challenges and barriers? Who will help you weigh persistence and drive against the wisdom of changing course? Who can set aside their own agenda for your success and help you find your own? Seek those people out and give them a hug, for they are Buddies of enormous value.
Until the next time go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Penguin and Griz: Recalulating
When at first you don’t succeed…what do you do next?
A goal-oriented life conveys a sense of purpose. It is motivating and energizing. It is meaningful. Such a life is also the fodder of disappointment. Circumstances do not line up as we wish. Priorities change. We dig deep and fall short.
Last week, I shared my goal of running the Grizzly Half Marathon at the end of the month. Shortly after I wrote , I fell. I fell hard. The next day, I could barely walk. I have been evaluating the damage, its effect on my training, and the chance of its standing between me and the Griz. As I write, I am optimistic. Ice and ibuprofen have worked well. I am planning a short, slow run this morning to test the system in motion. Maybe it will work.
Two weeks ago, we talked about GPS and the Voice in a Box that guides us to a programmed destination. When we miss a turn, it chants, “re-calculating.” For the past week, I have been re-calculating the route to this summer’s running success. In the process, I have experienced denial, frustration, and disappointment. I have also generated alternatives.
I have gradually resumed training. At best, I will walk more of the race than I intended at first—affirming my inner Penguin and embracing the waddle as a legitimate gait. I also found another nearby half marathon in September if my body needs more than three weeks to recover.
Goals can inspire, but they can also de-rail. The difference is found in our approach to setbacks. If we regard setbacks as dead ends, we stop and give up. We use the experience to confirm that we are not strong enough, or talented enough, or lucky enough to succeed. We lower our sights.
If we regard setbacks as mileposts , we continue on our path. We re-define success to celebrate small steps toward our goal, including those that teach us what doesn’t work. We tap our creativity to find an alternative route when the one we had started down is blocked. We re-calculate.
What goals make your life worth living? What happens when you find a barrier on the route? Have you developed the habit of sizing it up, re-defining the destination, and finding another route?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
A goal-oriented life conveys a sense of purpose. It is motivating and energizing. It is meaningful. Such a life is also the fodder of disappointment. Circumstances do not line up as we wish. Priorities change. We dig deep and fall short.
Last week, I shared my goal of running the Grizzly Half Marathon at the end of the month. Shortly after I wrote , I fell. I fell hard. The next day, I could barely walk. I have been evaluating the damage, its effect on my training, and the chance of its standing between me and the Griz. As I write, I am optimistic. Ice and ibuprofen have worked well. I am planning a short, slow run this morning to test the system in motion. Maybe it will work.
Two weeks ago, we talked about GPS and the Voice in a Box that guides us to a programmed destination. When we miss a turn, it chants, “re-calculating.” For the past week, I have been re-calculating the route to this summer’s running success. In the process, I have experienced denial, frustration, and disappointment. I have also generated alternatives.
I have gradually resumed training. At best, I will walk more of the race than I intended at first—affirming my inner Penguin and embracing the waddle as a legitimate gait. I also found another nearby half marathon in September if my body needs more than three weeks to recover.
Goals can inspire, but they can also de-rail. The difference is found in our approach to setbacks. If we regard setbacks as dead ends, we stop and give up. We use the experience to confirm that we are not strong enough, or talented enough, or lucky enough to succeed. We lower our sights.
If we regard setbacks as mileposts , we continue on our path. We re-define success to celebrate small steps toward our goal, including those that teach us what doesn’t work. We tap our creativity to find an alternative route when the one we had started down is blocked. We re-calculate.
What goals make your life worth living? What happens when you find a barrier on the route? Have you developed the habit of sizing it up, re-defining the destination, and finding another route?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Penguin and Griz
I am a Penguin. I learned the term from John Bingham, who for many years wrote The Penguin Chronicles for Runner’s World. Penguins are “adult-onset athletes” who run slowly. We waddle. We are, nevertheless, passionate about our sport (at whatever pace).
I became addicted to running, as a Penguin, in midlife. I first trained to run 13.1 miles a decade ago. Since then, I have run at least one half marathon per year, sometimes two or three. Training begins in late winter, as I build from 60-minute runs to 90, 120, 150, 180. When I reach three hours, I am ready.
Why has this strange practice become a rite of spring for me? I love having a goal. I love the sense of being alive. I love moving smoothly and quietly through the morning, seeing and feeling the seasons change. Snow melts and puddles form, leaves turn green, and a sequence of flowers bloom along the trail. I love comparing victories and injuries, sharing support and advice with running buddies. Most of all, I love the fact that, in my 60’s, both body and spirit are willing to go the distance.
The Missoula Marathon and Half will take place tomorrow. I have volunteered to help at the finish line. I look forward to greeting my buddies. We have trained together weekly since March. I look forward to sharing their victories and celebrating the obstacles they have overcome.
As for me, I registered for the Grizzly Half in Choteau a few weeks from now. I enjoy moving around, sampling different runs in different places: Moab, Provo, Helena, Williamsburg, Leesburg, Anchorage, Deadwood, Lolo Pass, Seeley Lake. And yes, the inaugural Missoula race three years back.
Each event has its own character. My next race advertises itself in modest terms, inviting us to Run wit da Griz: "Choteau's Grizzly Marathon is pure old-fashioned marathon. No hoopla - no bands, no crowds, no fuss. It is your chance to test your mettle in a beautiful setting. Sure there might be gravel and hills but you have trained hard, you're tough!" The Griz sounds like a good place for a Penguin, running her own race, dwarfed by the Big Sky and the Rocky Mountain Front.
Do you have annual rituals that re-charge your energy and re-commit you to living each day fully? Do you have a recurring practice that reminds you who you are and who you aspire to be? Rituals can be athletic. They can be social, cultural, or spiritual. They can inspire learning, exploring, and pushing the limits of what you know and believe to be true. What works for you?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
I became addicted to running, as a Penguin, in midlife. I first trained to run 13.1 miles a decade ago. Since then, I have run at least one half marathon per year, sometimes two or three. Training begins in late winter, as I build from 60-minute runs to 90, 120, 150, 180. When I reach three hours, I am ready.
Why has this strange practice become a rite of spring for me? I love having a goal. I love the sense of being alive. I love moving smoothly and quietly through the morning, seeing and feeling the seasons change. Snow melts and puddles form, leaves turn green, and a sequence of flowers bloom along the trail. I love comparing victories and injuries, sharing support and advice with running buddies. Most of all, I love the fact that, in my 60’s, both body and spirit are willing to go the distance.
The Missoula Marathon and Half will take place tomorrow. I have volunteered to help at the finish line. I look forward to greeting my buddies. We have trained together weekly since March. I look forward to sharing their victories and celebrating the obstacles they have overcome.
As for me, I registered for the Grizzly Half in Choteau a few weeks from now. I enjoy moving around, sampling different runs in different places: Moab, Provo, Helena, Williamsburg, Leesburg, Anchorage, Deadwood, Lolo Pass, Seeley Lake. And yes, the inaugural Missoula race three years back.
Each event has its own character. My next race advertises itself in modest terms, inviting us to Run wit da Griz: "Choteau's Grizzly Marathon is pure old-fashioned marathon. No hoopla - no bands, no crowds, no fuss. It is your chance to test your mettle in a beautiful setting. Sure there might be gravel and hills but you have trained hard, you're tough!" The Griz sounds like a good place for a Penguin, running her own race, dwarfed by the Big Sky and the Rocky Mountain Front.
Do you have annual rituals that re-charge your energy and re-commit you to living each day fully? Do you have a recurring practice that reminds you who you are and who you aspire to be? Rituals can be athletic. They can be social, cultural, or spiritual. They can inspire learning, exploring, and pushing the limits of what you know and believe to be true. What works for you?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Where am I Going? How Do I Get There?
Last weekend, in far-off Tennessee, I experienced GPS. Two relatives had cars with the “Lady in a Box,” an electronic voice who told us how to reach our destination. I especially liked her response when we missed a turn or chose an alternate route: “Re-calculating…”
On reflection, I see that the Lady in a Box speaks to more than finding our motel in a strange town. She reminds me of the greater journey of searching for the person I want to be--and the choice-by-choice guidance that is needed to lead me there.
In coach training, I learned to begin with a vision. Where do I want to be a year from now? Five years? Twenty? What does optimal wellness mean to me? We often begin with the basics: physical health, fitness, appearance. Rarely do we stop there. Optimal well-being grows out of alignment with our deepest values. It includes relationships with other people. It calls for confidence that we can meet our needs, reach our goals, and find inner peace.
Developing a vision starts us on the journey. If we stop there, it is a good intention and nothing more. Realizing the vision entails choices that take us in the direction we want to go. Most choices lead toward or lead away from our ultimate destination; our inner voice of wisdom knows the difference.
I sometimes wish I had a louder and more insistent inner voice, like the Lady in a Box. I wish she would say “in 0.3 miles turn left.” It isn’t quite that clear. My personal life has a lot of “recalculating.” I eat the third piece of pizza and an ice cream chaser (it tastes so good… and makes it hard to snap my jeans). I go for a run (knowing my knee needs a day of rest). I react with sarcasm (escalating a conflict that would fade with silence). I jump into the to-do list (instead of honoring the sunrise with meditation). "Re-calculating…"
As we mature on the journey, we become more attuned to the inner voice. We make fewer mistaken turns and recover more quickly. I know that voice in my soul as the Holy Spirit—the One Who knows what to say and what to do. The more often I ask for guidance and listen for the answer, the less often I must retrace my steps and find the path anew.
How do you connect with the wisdom within? How can you tell whether you are listening to the wise voice, before it is too late and you need to re-calculate?
Until the next time, go well.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
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