Why Running is the Perfect Metaphor for Life
Some Lessons Learned on the Trial
Running is the perfect metaphor for life. The more I run, the more I learn, and it has taught me a lot. I have experienced things running so identical to those I have experienced in my life it’s astonishing. There are many lessons to be learned from sports and exercise, but running is unique because everyone can do it. There is no monetary barrier that keeps anyone from running, no equipment, no special fields or courts that you have to go to. You are given everything running requires in the form of life and it is up to you to take advantage of its benefits.
I have frequently thought about the similarities between running and life. The desire to write on the topic came to me one morning I was running along the Lakefront Trail in Chicago. I have been a runner all my life in various meanings of the label runner; however, I have recently increased my weekly mileage to a lifetime high in preparation for an upcoming race. Typically I only run in the evenings where I have had all day to prepare myself mentally. I actually crave evening exercise; I find it is a great destressing mechanism. As the race draws closer I have been trying to force myself to get up in the morning for an additional workout. I want to fit in two workouts a couple days of the week. In most scenarios, I love exercising, but something about forcing myself out of bed well before I need to makes it a monumental task. Especially because I know that I will still be able to do something after work. In this particular week, I had told myself that I would get up early Monday. Instead I opted to stay in bed and get another hour of blissful sleep. Then I told myself Tuesday was the day. I was going to get up early and go run, and then I failed again. Wednesday morning started with the exact same sequence.
Then finally here I was on Thursday morning, unable to bear failure another day I made it out of bed and out onto the trail, all well before 6 AM. The first thing I noticed was how many people were out there already running. These people had obviously started well before me. The trail was not packed by any means, yet by the time this run was over I had crossed paths with more people than I could count. Who were these people, and was getting up to run in the morning as hard for them as it was for me?
I set out with the goal of running five and a half miles that morning, and to my surprise, I was feeling quite good. I was passing a lot of people which is usually satisfying, it feels like success. It makes you feel like you are a better runner than those people.
Around mile 4 things started changing; I had to start grinding because my legs were getting tight. I wanted to slow down but I was trying to hold the pace as long as possible. At this time, locked in and determined to crush the last mile and a half of the run, an older man with an underwhelming physique, cruised right on past me. While I was struggling he was showing no visible sign of heavy effort. That guy was better than me.
Except it’s not that simple, when you’re out running it’s never that simple. See I never know how far all those people I keep passing have gone. Yea I breezed past someone but they could be on their twelfth mile and I am only on my first. Or maybe they are not even running with the intent of going fast, today is a short rest and recovery day for them. Or the biggest one of all, maybe they enjoy the pace they are going at, those people might not even be out on the trail for the same reasons as me. They don’t want to go fast. The reverse is the same, so what if someone flies by me; maybe they just started while I’m grinding out the last mile of my run.
Just like getting passed by people on the trail, there are people at my office and within my group of friends that are seemingly more successful than me, and that can be discouraging. Similarly performing better than others can give me a sense of pride. This thought process can become dangerous very fast. I try to be careful with being proud of my successes. I look at the point others are at in their journey and I realize that I usually have no idea where they started or what adversities they have faced.
This is not an attempt at saying that everyone out there is the same and no one person is better than the other. There are runners that are superior to me because they have been training harder, longer, and they are plain more genetically gifted. I could train for years sacrificing everything in my life to become the fastest possible runner that I humanly could and there would still be an uncountable number of people out there faster.
This mirrors life as well. When I look at all the traits and resources that I try to develop for myself I know that there is someone out there who is far beyond my position. I want to be smart and excel in the workplace, but there are many people out there smarter and doing far greater things. I want to make a lot of money, but there are millions of people who make unfathomable amounts more. I want to be kind and compassionate but I know a lot of people who express those traits with such ease it’s amazing. In life, if you feel like a big fish, there is always a bigger one, in a bigger pond.
The only real way to find success in running is to find out what your goals are. Find out what you are struggling to achieve and then measure your progress against yourself. I want to go out every day and beat myself from yesterday. I choose to take pride in beating myself, not others. The only judgments and comparisons you should be making are against yourself. Do not be disheartened if you find someone that exceeds your abilities in things that are important to you. Instead, engage and learn from them because they are a valuable resource.
Running is like life because of the inability to figure out where you truly rank among the rest of the runners or people in your life. There is something about that trail with no real beginning or end, where people with varying skill levels start and finish at different locations that perfectly describes my thoughts on my journey through life thus far. You never know why someone is out there doing what they are. Could they be training for a race or are they out there just for the fresh air and beautiful views? I strive to respect their reasons and focus on mine.
