What do you do When Things Don't go your Way?
I’ve had some time to lick my wounds since yesterday’s fall. I’m no longer convinced I broke a chest bone, and I’m still holding out hope for Sunday’s race. My knee still hurts and the soreness in my neck leads me to believe I gave myself whiplash, but overall, I’m headed in the right direction. To top it off, today is a rest day so the cards are aligning nicely.
Last night before bed, I was reflecting on my morning meditation from earlier in the day. The guided meditation left me with two questions: 1) What can I learn about myself today? and 2) What can I learn about the world today? Well, no better learning opportunity than a split second fall that derails what you’ve been working for the past few months.
What did I learn about myself? Two things:
First, and I think I expressed this yesterday, I like to know people care, even if they are complete strangers. And I know I’m not the only one. As human beings, we have a need to feel cared for and loved. We know this when it comes to our children, and it doesn’t change with age. Yesterday I had a surprise visit from a friend who went out of her way to stop by and check on me. My house was a mess but I gladly invited her in to hang out. A 15 minute detour to my day reminded me that for every person who doesn’t stop for someone on the verge of tears in the dark, there are 100 people who would. Yes, at times the world feels like complete chaos, but I choose to believe in the goodness of others. The more we perpetuate the good, the better things become.
The second thing I realized about myself is I like it when things are going great. Up until yesterday, my running felt like it was on a new level. I’ve been pushing paces in workouts, recovering really well, and I had big plans for Sunday. But then, life happened. An unexpected curve ball was thrown in my direction, and now I have to ask myself: What are you going to do when things aren’t going great? It’s easy to do the thing, whatever the thing may be, when everything is going your way. But how do you handle things when it’s not going your way? My plan for Sunday may have changed, but I’ll still toe the start line. Things happen. Sometimes you pivot. And sometimes you just have to go through the motions.
What did I learn about the world?
When I got home at 7:30 am yesterday morning, I would have told you the world is selfish. Places to go. Things to do. No time for others. But at 7:30 pm I would have told you a different story. People are inherently good. For all of social media’s downsides, the big upside is that it connects like minded individuals, who even though you’ve never met in person, genuinely care about you. My Strava biking friends shared the amazingness of tegaderm for road rash. An Instagram friend recommended a great ice pack for knees (she too had just recovered from a fall). Friends from Roxboro, who I haven’t heard from in years, reached out. And it reminded me that our stories connect us and stories love to be shared.
So what’s my plan for Sunday? I’m running the Bull City Half Marathon in the middle of a long run to practice marathon pace. Coach’s plan is to run 3 miles around 6:45-6:50 pace, 7 miles at 6:33 pace, and 3.1 miles around 6:20 or faster. The course is extremely hilly. If I remember correctly, there are no flat parts, only up and down. But I wanted to go out there and push for faster. The performances this past week in Chicago have really made me question my own capabilities. Sunday’s game plan is TBD. In the meantime, I’m working on my mental game. Chrissie Wellington once said that her best training was done on the couch. Time to go visualize.
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