Okay, hear me out. I started running again at the top of the week – this past Sunday to be exact. I had gotten my feet fitted at Fleet Feet and I got some new running shoes. I started running again simply wanting to learn to run well and to hopefully add another exercise to my weekly routine. My goal for this new spark was to enjoy running first, and maybe achieve something later.
I was so proud (well, mostly proud because in the same breath I said, “I suck”) of myself for Sunday’s run that I texted my friend to let him know what I had just done. He’s a runner-runner (if you know what I mean) and he’s found and built a whole community around it so I knew he’d be excited for me. He says, “You should sign up for a race down there.” My response: “I thought about signing up for a race but then I decided that I just want to run to run. You know I’ve done half marathons in the past but I just want to develop the skill and for it to become comfortable.”
The Back Story
I was walking one morning early February and it was eerily warm (like 60s). I was walking along our neighborhood trail and it was the calmest, most peaceful walk. The mild temp, the clouds with a peek-a-boo of sunlight, and the subtle sounds of nature around me instantly had me yearning for the warmer weather ahead. It reminded me how grounding being outside can be. But, as I was headed back (a 3-mile loop) I saw a few people jogging and it subtly awakened a desire inside of me that had been dormant.
Seeing people on their respective run is not out of the norm, but they made it look easy. They just looked comfortable, as if every step was as easy as the brisk walk I was taking. And, I wanted that effortlessness and comfortability with running for myself too.
The “Back Then”
In my twenties I signed up for and ran two half marathons. However, I was very much in my inauthentic era where I did several things for outside validation. Running, at the time, was never enjoyable to me. I ran those half marathons for the cool factor (which turned out not to be cool) and to achieve something. And, I hated it. I hated training – my feet hurt every time, I could never figure out how to breathe so my chest wouldn’t hurt, and I just couldn’t figure out a good pace. Not to mention the headaches I got! I’m a headache girly and I knew that every run would come with one.
So, this sudden, but authentic, desire felt deeply personal and redemptive for me in a way. And, it got me to think about other skills/hobbies/projects I could start simply to start without tying it to achievement. I know there are people out there who lead a lifestyle that isn’t driven by achievement and this post won’t resonate. But, for those who do a thing to get something out of it – namely kudos, awards, recognition, etc- I challenge you to try something new because you’re truly curious. Some of the most rewarding memories, skills, whatever you want to call them, are born from private endeavors.
The Moral
It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype of succumbing to trends nowadays. All the short-form and long-form content glamorizes or indirectly persuades you to buy into (quite literally) the latest phenomenon (products, fashion, endless how-to guides, hacks, etc). They often pigeon-hole you into doing it one particular way so you get these certain results. Granted, a lot of the times it’s helpful, but if you are someone that is results driven and you want your end product to look the same as the end-product that was sold to you, you may be disappointed in the end or begin to feel less than.
I’m not here to de-influence you from such content, but moreso wanting to remind you that even it’s not being highlighted in mainstream culture doesn’t mean it’s not of valuable or worth exploring. Go do more things you enjoy just to enjoy them and not for the achievement – no goals, no expectations.
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