What am I NOT doing this year? Flying. Going to concerts. Going to movies. Entering races. Eating out in restaurants. Things that use time and money, which I now have but will squander if I don’t look at this reality with intention. Of course, not all that time and money is really free— I’ve had to buy things I might not have otherwise, and it takes a certain amount of energy just to soldier on when things are so dicey. (And as a childless person who remains employed full-time, I know I’m not like everyone). But still, there is a hole where some activities used to be. It would be easy to fill that hole with sadness and apathy and let it be. But that sounds terrible. So what do I want, how do I want to use that time and money that I used to spend on fun?
Running (& hiking & more, but mostly running) adventures have been some of my happiest times lately, and I want to level that up. I’m not competitive, but I still like to race sometimes (Favorites: Arizona trail 8 miler, Hood to Coast). The 2020 version has been to tackle new routes on local trails, and do things like challenge myself to run end-to-end on a long route I often do segments of. This is possible even more fun that racing.
I love moving fast (that’s a relative term) and feeling strong. I love integrating movement into my work-a-day life, and enabling my weekend warrior jaunts to be more awesome. I have a pipe dream to run a trail ultra (I mentioned this out loud once, and I was laughed at. Pooh pooh to that. I do what I want). I’ve had those regular runner injuries over the years and I want to develop a sustainable running and strength practice that will let me get to longer distances without breaking down or burning out.
I like to work hard, but I also don’t want to work harder than I ought to for no reason. Which I will absolutely do because I’m not very knowledgable but am very conscientious. I want some accountability external to myself, and some motivation and goals. I want to feel myself improve. I want to be able to hang with the big boys. I want more confidence in myself as a runner and an overall athlete.
So, I’m thinking of hiring a coach!
Coaches aren’t just for elites. People hire coaches for all kinds of things— life coaches, executive coaches, diet coaches, gym coaches. . . you name it. Expertise is really helpful in making progress, and so is accountability. The act of paying someone for help is a way of signaling serious intent to the self. Yes, I want to do this, yes, I am worth it, and yes, I am willing to invest in it. It’s also an act of humility (I don’t know everything and could use some help). So,
I’ll keep you posted (ha. blogger joke).
What's cookin, good lookin?