Sometimes It’s Enough Just to Show Up

Today was a frustrating morning. I woke up, and before I even got out of bed, I decided that I was going to go to the gym.  I proceeded to get dressed and gather my things.  I grabbed a lightweight jacket since I am usually hot by the time I finish running and don’t need one coming back. As soon as I stepped outside the wind hit my ears and I shivered a bit. Despite that, I proceeded to walk over to the clubhouse. I was looking forward to going inside to escape the chill, but suddenly realized that I had grabbed the wrong key, and had my car key instead of the clubhouse fob.  So back home I went, trying not to think about how cold I was.

Once home, I exchanged keys and stopped to talk to M. He suggested that I treat myself to a warm drink from the food truck when I finished my run. That sounded really good, and I headed back out the door. As I neared the clubhouse, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to take some money for my post-workout treat. Ugghhh!  Back home I went, with the wind hitting my face the whole way. I grabbed some cash and decided that this time I was going to drive over. Finally, I walked into the gym. I wiped down the machine and started settling my things when I realized that at some point I had set down my water bottle and no longer had it with me. I told myself it would be okay as I wasn’t planning a long run and proceeded to start up a podcast on my phone. That’s when I also realized that my headphones weren’t pairing. At that moment, I thought, “This is ridiculous, I’m just going to go home.”

Photograph of Eliud Kipchoge (2021) Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/08/ sport/eliud-kipchoge-olympic-marathon-spt-intl/index.html

I have been running for approximately five  years now. I have had periods when I ran nearly every day, and I have had periods when my running was more sporadic. Time and time again I have  found is that my running becomes much easier and more enjoyable when I commit to doing it at least three times a week. Whenever I run less than that, I find myself with injuries or not able to maintain my fitness level.

Eliud Kipchoge, one of the greatest runners in the world, once said, “I’m confident in saying that consistency is key if you want to grow in a new profession. Be it sport. Be it law. Be it all sorts of professions. If you are not consistent you cannot go anywhere. Consistency makes you to grow.” Considering that Eliud has won 2 Olympic gold medals and can run a pace of 4:33 per mile, I think he knows what he’s talking about.

So even though I really wanted to just go home, and think about running another day, I didn’t. I knew that I had a busy week ahead and that I likely wouldn’t get back to the gym for several days. I knew that the feeling of going home at that moment wouldn’t feel nearly as good as going home after a workout. So I stayed.  I didn’t run as far as I originally planned, but I ran .  And I checked off another day of running for the week.  Sometimes it’s enough just to show up.

 

References:

Cathal Dennehey (10/29/21). Eliud Kipchoge: Inside the camp, and the mind, of the greatest marathon runner of all time. Retrieved from https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/othersport/arid-40732662.html

NN Running Team (n.d.). Meet Eliud. Retrieved from https://www.nnrunningteam.com/team/eliud-kipchoge/

Sweat Elite (n.d.). Eliud Kipchoge – 15 Motivational Quotes About Training and Life. Retrieved from http://sweatelite.co/eliud-kipchoge-motivational-quotes-about-training-and-life/

World Athletics (n.d.). Eliud Kipchoge. Retrieved from https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/eliud-kipchoge-14208194

Photograph of feet running on treadmill (n.d.) Retrieved from’https://www.123rf.com/profile_pascalk’>pascalk</a>

Photograph of Eliud Kipchoge (2021) Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/08/sport/eliud-kipchoge-olympic-marathon-spt-intl/index.html

 

 

 

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