 |
| A souvenir from Cape Cod – it reminds me to pull it together and focus on the good stuff, in life and running |
Yesterday was our last day on the Cape, and we needed to check out of our rental by 10. We were up, eating breakfast, looking out the windows at the ocean in the distance, and feeling none too happy about leaving. Our plan had been to pack the kids in the car and drive home for lunch, so the boys could have their afternoon naps in the comfort of their crib while we unpacked.
I couldn’t do it. The day had dawned brighter, sunnier, and warmer than the forecast had predicted, and I couldn’t let go of the possibility of making more gorgeous Cape Cod memories. I made phone calls and booked us a last minute seal tour, a forty five minute drive in the wrong direction from home, and then frantically threw everything in the car with Greg and left the rental with about negative five minutes to spare in order to get on this boat tour.
 |
| Wow, Will is having SO MUCH FUN |
We rushed. They held the trolley for us. We changed diapers on the pavement while people boarded the boat. The kids reacted to life jackets like they were medieval torture devices. Andrew was clearly more interested in napping. Will asked to go home. I had trouble making eye contact with the other passengers, picturing them cursing us the entire time they waited on the trolley (was it thirty seconds, or five minutes? I’ll never know).
I started to apologize to Greg, but he put a reassuring hand on my back, smiled at me, and said he didn’t blame me at all and this would be fun. Greg was choosing to have a good time, and it was catching – both boys were more relaxed at his side.
 |
| Greg is amazing at not letting a tough start ruin his day – or his run. |
I realized that I was so nerved up from rushing all morning and worrying about our change in plans that I was bringing the whole family down and not allowing myself to relax and have a good time.
I took a breath of salt air, I relaxed my shoulders, and I started over.
We saw over a hundred seals in Chatham harbor. Andrew kept waving at them. Will got used to his life jacket and said he was having a great time. We stopped for one last amazing lobster roll on the way home, didn’t hit traffic, and the boys napped almost the whole way.
The whole day reminded me of the importance of pulling yourself together when things aren’t going well. It’s easy to take a few rough patches in a day, or a run, and write off the whole experience.
This is not going well. This was a bad idea. What was I thinking?
Life is more fluid than that. There are high points and low points of every day, but our overall mood determines which parts of each day we emphasize in our minds. Psychologists call this “confirmation bias”, a human tendency to prioritize information that agrees with our own opinion. If you’re having a bad day, then all the evidence that things aren’t going your way sticks out more in your mind.
 |
| Sunbathing seals in Chatham harbor. |
This applies to running, too. When I get out there and I’m just not enjoying it, my negativity can compound on itself. It’s important to stop, pull it together, consider the first part as a warm-up, and try again. If you beat yourself up over a slow first mile, or lots of walking breaks, then you can waste the rest of the run. Instead, try stopping for a minute, hydrating, and then continuing as though that first part never happened. Every minute is a chance to start over. Every part of the run counts.
Focus on the effort you’re putting in, not the pace or distance you’re getting out of it. You’ve made the time to run, you’ve gotten out the door, anything you do from here on is making you healthier and strengthening you as a runner. It might not be perfect, it might not be the workout you wanted it to be, but it’s better than being sedentary. Yes, you’ll have a chance to try again on your next run. But you also have a chance to try again RIGHT NOW. Go for it. Have a good run.
 |
| http://www.cafepress.com/iamrunningthis.906738464 Buy a mug for inspiration and charity 🙂 Available through cafepress for $11.99. (My $1.00 markup goes to Heifer International) |
Other posts you may enjoy:
Another great post. that’s actually what I did on my last run! my training program is two 12 minute runs which gets me to one mile without stopping. first run was grueling and when the second turn came around I was dreading it. I started and my sister called. I took the call and kept walking – an excuse yeah!! when I hung up I thought I only had about 2 minutes left and was feeling a little defeated when I heard the nice man say “you only have 8 minutes to go – you can do it!” to which I responded yes, yes I can. I’ve already completed a 12 minute run today, I can do 8!
Awesome! That’s great 🙂
I totally know what you mean about the phone being an excuse. I was running my first 9 mile run ever and my mom called at mile 7, and I pick up, out of breath, and she’s like “um, are you running? We can talk later… why did you pick up?”
Umm, duh, I picked up because I’m running. What’s up? How’s the chinchilla? Did you go to the beach today?
Yeah.