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).
