Some of you may know about my recent attempt to regain my youth by tackling a running challenge that I completed ten years ago. It's called a streak run and basically, it means that you run every day of the year. I did this my first year at Greene Central and a decade later, I'm trying to do it again. It's more of a form of self-help this time around. I'm certainly not as fast as I once was and the longer runs leave me sore much longer than they did then. But this time around I'm focused on mental therapy rather than winning any races. Because of where I live and some previous close encounters with cars early in the morning, I've done a lot of these runs via a treadmill. I've never really liked treadmills though. They make me feel like a hampster in a wheel. But nonetheless, I carried on with my very inexpensive treadmill until the week we got out for Spring Break. The motor was dying and I needed to quit being cheap and make an investment.
I chose a new treadmill with a feature that I thought I might never use. There's a screen with a video of a coach that runs with you in different places throughout the world. But why do I need a coach? I ran competitively for years and coached some very successful runners. I know what I'm doing so why do I need to pay a monthly fee to be told what I already know? My wife wanted to try it and so in the spirit of having a growth mindset, I gave it a try. I'm so hooked. Over the past two weeks, I've been doing interval training on the beaches and mountains of South Africa with a coach that guides me and encourages me along the way. I can't begin to tell you how much of a difference it makes. Having a voice of encouragement keeps you accountable to something other than the voice in your head. I run farther and faster every time I do it. (But I'm still not fast.)
Having a partner for challenges in life makes them easier. Someone to support you and give you feedback makes you better, even when things are tough. These last few weeks of school are always the toughest part of the race. We are tired when they need us the most. But look around and remember that this is not a race that any of us runs alone. We are all right there together, we just need to look up and encourage each other to finish the race. Each of us has the ability to be that coach for each other and to receive that when we need it. Now is not the time for any of us to put our heads down and attempt to run alone. Let's do this together!
