Maintain Focus

Throwback to first half marathon, January 2016

The day after my first half marathon, I remember sitting outside the food court of the hotel, having a cup of morning caffeine while awaiting our bus to the airport to get home. As I was sipping my tea, I watched as the marathon runners returned in a steady stream back to the hotel. I saw a mixture of stupor, elation, tears of both joy and pain, ice packs to various extremities, medals being displayed with pride. And in the back of my mind, one little spark. I had just surprised myself by running a half marathon, but here in the far corners of my brain, the marathon was already whispering at me.

Over the years, I've found that many of my exercise and run goals started this way: just a spark, barely noticeable at first. For me, that whisper often leads to a question: What would running that distance or pace feel like? I wonder if I could try swimming in open water? 

In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that many of us have lost our focus. This is understandable given all that is going on. But, I’d encourage us to take some time this week to return to our goals. Remember that tiny flicker of a goal you thought about earlier this year? Maybe you even wrote it down for the new year? It’s time to dig out that training journal and dust it off. What goals did we write down in January and February? 

A little homework this week...

Spend a little time considering that one little spark in the corner of your mind. Write it down. Maybe start with part of a sentence on the top line of your journal: “I wonder if I could…” or, "What would it feel like if..." and fill in the blanks.

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At first, I didn’t pay a ton of attention to that little spark about the marathon, but over time, the whisper became much louder. Eventually, it was on my mind so much that I began to name the goal out loud, write it down, and begin training for it to make the goal a reality. Let’s not ignore those little sparks. Let’s allow them to tug at us and move us onward.