15 Life Lessons I’ve Learned From My Running Journey
Running has changed who I am and in the process has taught me some valuable life lessons
It’s funny. There was never an actual moment when I fell in love with running… it just sort of happened. Now that I think about it, for the majority of my running career, I had no romantic connection to the sport at all. It was just something that I did because I was good at it. I’ve been running for as long as I can remember (probably ever since I could tie my own shoes) and in school I was always labelled the “runner”*. No one in my family had ever run competitively before, so I’m not sure where I got the “running gene” from. Both my parents try to take credit for it — it’s a running joke (pun intended).
Some of my earliest running memories come from elementary school, running the “cherry hill” loop with my cross-country team. Then it felt so long, but looking back today it was probably less than a kilometre long. All the way through elementary, I placed top three in all my races. I was a natural — but talent never came without a price.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s said, “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” and I was riding a smooth sea.
People who win, win, win, never learn how to cope with failure. Winning becomes so natural to them that a failure would be detrimental to their ego. For me, I won so much that I almost felt pressured to win. I remember standing on the starting line, petrified of failure, and it wasn’t until high school that I learned what it meant to fail.
In my junior year of high school, I struggled with a chronic injury related to my IT band. I was unable to run and this really affected my performance. “Why me?” I would ask, “Why do I deserve this?” Sitting down to write this article has given me a chance to recognize something. Maybe there was a greater purpose for this struggle — maybe to give me a chance to reflect on what running really means to me. So I’ve accumulated all that I have learned from running in hopes that potentially I will obtain a better understanding of what it means to me.
Here are the 15 Life Lessons I’ve Learned From My Running Journey:
1. Each big run starts with a few small steps.
It only seemed fitting to start this article with this lesson. Each big run starts with a few small steps, each big article starts with a few letters, each big business starts with a few ideas. In other words, all big things come from small beginnings and if you have the audacity to take the first few steps or to write the first few words, then you’re on your way to creating something bigger than you could have ever imagined.
“This is what separates dreamers from doers.”
2. Sometimes you need music in your ears to numb the pain.
On every long run, I like to bring my iPod to play music. Partly because long runs can be boring (especially solo) but also because it acts as a source of distraction. When the run gets hard, it keeps me going.
In any life endeavour, there will be times when you will struggle and want to quit. It’s OK to tell yourself everything is going to be alright, even if it’s not. Distracting yourself from any doubts and reservations will keep you focused on your goals.
3. Creativity comes with a clear mind.
Running helps me decompress after a long day of stress, and it clears my mind (see here). I find a lot of my inspiration comes during runs and believe it or not, this article was imagined on one. I actually had to cut the run short, so I could get home fast enough to write all my ideas down; which brings me to my next point.
4. Sometimes you need to cut the run short.
Understanding when to stop is a skill that a lot of ambitious people don’t have (including me). They become blinded by their goals that they forget to listen to their bodies. If you neglect your mental and physical health, you will only put yourself at risk of injury or sickness. It is important to recognize when to stop and when to take a break. This places you in a sustainable lifestyle, one in which you can continue in the long-run (pun not intended).
5. A bad run is better than no run at all.
When I’ve had a bad run, I know it. And it sucks. I’ve learned to understand that not every run will be perfect. You will feel tired, unmotivated, or maybe you hurt from yesterday’s run. But you couldn’t have run at all, and in life an optimistic mindset can carry you through any failure.
Trying and failing is better than not trying at all.
6. Slow and steady doesn't always win the race.
Obviously, in a sport like running the slowest runner DOES not always win the race. Same with life. To seize the right opportunity you need speed because just as fast as it got there it could be gone.
“On occasion, every project requires a sprint”
7. RECOVERY!
Having a good run is great, but it is what you do after the run that makes a difference. Stretching, drinking water, rolling out your muscles, and refuelling are all things I do to make sure I’m primed for tomorrow’s run. After a long day at school, I like to apply this same principle and take a thirty-minute break to relax and recover from the day’s stresses.
8. Sometimes it's much easier to run in a group than solo.
My team loves to run in groups. Running in a group is always so much better than running solo. We keep each other entertained, pace each other, and bond. Sometimes doing everything on your own could be tiring, and you might need help. In life, you should never be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help does not show weakness. It shows strength and humility.
9. Medals require half hard work, half insanity.
I remember when my team was training for the provincial championships. I was sitting in class looking at the rain through the window and the principal came onto the announcements, “All sports practices will be cancelled after school today…except for cross-country.” My coach always said, “a run on a rainy day is a double run day”. Translation: If we run in storms, we will be one run ahead of our competition, who will be sitting at home. It sounds crazy, but that’s the mentality that brought us to win our first provincial championship. Sometimes in life, you have to do what others won’t to be successful, even if they think you are insane.
“To be apart of the 1%, you need to be prepared to do what the 99% of people won’t.”
10. Pain is temporary, giving up lasts forever.
Almost every athlete has heard this saying and as cliché as it is, I live by it. It acts as my personal mantra. I repeat it when I’m running a really hard workout or studying for a really hard exam. Quitting is not an option.
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with?” — Lance Armstrong
11. Surround yourself with faster runners.
Sometimes I feel bad for the fastest runner on my team. He is constantly being hunted. I prefer to hunt. In life, no matter how much you’ve perfected your craft, someone will always be better than you. You always need to strive to be better than that person. This ensures continual progression.
12. Don’t be afraid to cross train.
Because of my injury, I was forced to explore other mediums of endurance, like biking and swimming. I joined my school’s swim team, and it turns out I really like swimming. In life, don’t be afraid to “cross train”. Expand your horizons, trying new things and be experimental, it will only make you more diverse. Focusing on one thing makes life boring and monotonic.
13. Set slightly unreasonable goals.
I like setting slightly unreasonable goals. I always find I work harder and push myself beyond my limits when I do so. Even if I fail, (this could be a couple of seconds or milliseconds if you’re a sprinter) I land much closer to my goal than I would have ever been.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Norman Vincent
14. Keep your PB in the back of your mind and always strive to beat it.
Always remember your PB (personal best) because you are your biggest competition. Got 89% on your bio test? Get 90% next time. You won’t always know the capabilities of your competition, but you will definitely know your own capabilities. So harness that knowledge to make yourself a better version of yourself.
“The only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.”
15. Coaches (mentors) matter.
I have played a lot of other sports — hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc — but some of the best coaches I’ve had have been running coaches. Coaches failed a lot in their career, so you don’t have to. Surround yourself with coaches and mentors, so you can learn from their knowledge and experience.
“They call it coaching, but it’s teaching. You do not just tell them — you show them the reasons.” — Vince Lombardi
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This article was originally posted on Mighty Words!
