Maybe Running Can Teach Me About Design Somehow
I’m a terrible runner. I’m a slow Type 1 Diabetic with exercise-induced asthma, so even on days when my lungs don’t feel like fire, my blood sugar can drop suddenly and I’ll have to stop anyway.
I’ve always used that as my excuse to not be a runner. I’ve always said that running isn’t my friend. But over the last few years, running and I have been in an on-again-off-again fling. And now, as social distancing is the new norm and we are all encouraged to stay indoors, I’ve come back to running again.
This time, I’m setting a goal for myself: because the BOLDERBoulder 10k race was postponed from Memorial Day Weekend until the fall, I want to run a 15k by then instead. I was stoked to run the BOLDERBoulder race, and I wish I could say I will be in town for the new date, but I won’t be. So instead of letting myself give up, I’m upping the ante.
I’ve been running the past few weeks, and I’ve realized how important it is to take a bit to recollect and, perhaps, readjust, especially if my blood sugar is involved. I’ve been tinkering with protein and hydration and sugar, and I’ve had to get a little creative about how I carry things, how I prepare for a run, and how I recover from each run, too. My Type 1 Diabetes and my exercise-induced asthma are making me more creative with how I tackle running every day.
Maybe running is, in fact, teaching me about design. It’s teaching me to be consistent and to keep looking for creative ways to solve problems. And while I bet there are less strenuous ways to learn those lessons, I’m grateful that I’m learning them in running. I’m stoked to see where this goes.
