Yes, You Can!

Quite often when someone I meet finds out I’m a runner they say something like “I couldn’t run a mile.”   For most people they’re really saying “I don’t want to run.”   There are very few people that could not train for a few weeks and run a mile.  Most people just don’t have that desire, and I get that.  I say the same thing about playing the piano.  I would love to be able to play the piano (yes, Mom, I should have stuck with the lessons 40 years ago).  But I don’t want it bad enough to take the time to learn. 

So, if you want to be able to run, just start.  Don’t wait.  Put your shoes on and start walking.  Then in a week or so mix some short jogs with your walking, then keep increasing the time.  There are many websites that have programs for beginning runners.  Find one and start.  Or don’t say you “can’t run”, just say you don’t want to run.

Please Clear Your Sidewalk

This is a Public Service Announcement – this winter, please clear the snow and ice from your sidewalk.  You may not use your sidewalk much in the winter and perhaps you think others don’t either.   But think about who does still use your sidewalk - the mail man (or “postal carrier”), your neighborhood dog walkers and local runners.  Sure, most runners run in the streets but when there are a few feet of snow piled up along the  curbs, runners need to head for the safety of the sidewalk when cars are coming down the street.  Snow, ice and frozen ruts make walking and running hazardous. So, please take the extra five minutes to clear a path down your sidewalk.  Runners, dog walkers and postal carriers will thank you.

Take a Snow Day?

Today was supposed to be my long run day. (Although “long” is relative and early January long is different than mid-summer long, but, still, a “longer” run.)  But, waking up to about 3 inches of fresh snow while more is coming down changed my plans.  So now the dilemma.  Skip a day or hit the treadmill?  (I’m not sure why it takes more motivation to run inside in the winter than it does to run outside in the cold, but it does.)   So I compromised.  Five miles on the treadmill listening to tunes on Shuffle.  It really wasn’t so bad (for January).

The New Year Natural Break

It’s a new year.  A natural break in life that many people use to get a fresh start.  A time to get organized, list goals, stop bad habits and start good habits.  A time to look back at the year gone by and remember the good and bad but, more importantly, a time to look ahead.  Ahead to the possibilities.   

Did you accomplish all you wanted to running-wise in 2008?  Maybe your goal was to finish a marathon, or beat your best 5k time.  Maybe your goal was to lose weight or run three days a week for 30 minutes.  Whatever it was – whether you met it or not – it’s gone.  Forget about it.  You can’t change it, fix it or relive it.  But you can learn from it.

What will you change in 2009?  What will you not change?  Maybe your goal is to keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing.  That’s great.  Or maybe you want to increase your miles or improve your time.  That’s great, too.  Just use this natural break to make a conscious decision about what you want to accomplish.  As someone once said – “if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else”.

Although this blog is mostly about running, I encourage you to also think about bigger and, frankly, more important goals.  Relationships you want to improve or maintain, talents you want to acquire or improve, knowlegde you want to gain, and most importantly, faith you need to grow and live.  There’s no better time.