Even under ideal circumstances, making a lifestyle change is
difficult. There is a lot of truth to the
saying, “Old habits die hard.” And new
habits, especially healthy ones, can be difficult to establish. And while forming healthy habits is a
challenge, with challenge comes opportunity.
For most of my life I was a professional coach potato. It was a real struggle for me to start exercising. Learning how to run was a slow and
challenging process – mentally and physically.
Every step was difficult. Not a
day passed when I didn’t think about quitting; that lasted for many months. But
when I reached my first major fitness goal - finishing a 5K race without
walking, I finally experienced the pleasure and pride that accompanied my accomplishment. It was a deeply satisfying experience.
Despite all my success, as I mentioned in a recent blog
entry, I am still struggling to re-establish a regular running routine. But this weekend I was reminded of an
important life lesson that has reinvigorated me. Sometimes it is rewarding to forget our own
struggles and pay attention to other people.
A few years ago Colleen and I became close with Jim and
Sue. They are the parents of our
daughter’s best friends. Recently, Jim
and Sue had expressed some interest in running.
On Saturday the three of us went for a three mile walk-run. We alternated run-walk segments and took it
very slow. Everything went well. We agreed to try it again on Sunday morning.
As the three of us started running down a local bike path together
on Sunday morning it became clear that Sue was struggling. After just a few hundred yards she had fallen
behind Jim and me. I decided to fall
back and run with her. I encouraged her
whenever possible; and every now and then we walked a little extra. While she complained in a light hearted way, and
resisted me at times, she finished the entire two miles! Her final half mile
was the strongest and fasted part of the workout. Amazing.
It was nothing fancy or complicated; just three friends on an
anonymous bike path one Sunday morning doing their own thing. But in its own very simple way, what happened
during that half hour was truly inspiring.
Sue could have used any number of excuses to give up – and at times she
tried to quit – “It is too cold.” “My
legs are sore.” “My ankles hurt.” “The
cold air hurts my lungs.” “I can’t do it, I just can’t.” While all of these things were to some degree
true, in the end, she refused to quit. She
did what she set out to do. She accomplished
one of her first running goals. And in
that moment I felt such pride; not for me, but for Sue. When I congratulated her I saw the
satisfaction written across her face.
At one point I looked at Sue and I said, “We just did
something good for ourselves and good for our families.” She smiled and said, “Thank you.” But most importantly, when I dropped my
friends off at their house, Sue asked me if we could exercise again tomorrow
evening. I said, “Absolutely.”
Too often people get overly self-absorbed. But this weekend, during a half hour on a
Sunday, I realized that by taking time to focus on friends’ exercise goals I
reaped great rewards. Sue, in particular,
helped me to rediscover so many of the things that led me to embrace exercise
in the first place. She reminded me that
exercise can be hard and painful, but it can also be an inspiring and deeply rewarding
journey; a journey well worth taking.
Whatever happens going forward, Sunday was a great day. I feel refreshed, renewed and optimistic –
about my friends, about my running and about life. I encourage all of you to pay attention to
one another, to help one another, and to inspire one another to set goals, to
meet goals and to push ourselves to new limits.
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