Bold Moves
Holy Inferno Batman, it’s freakin’ hot out here! That is what went through my mind, among many other hilarious and some not printable thoughts, as I battled the heat & humidity to get my 20 mile training run in this weekend.
There is a psychological phenomenon that is called the “fight or flight” instinct. It is a term to describe how we react when we are confronted with personal danger. We often think of this in terms of being attacked personally, in a manner that is life threatening. In that circumstance, we instinctively respond. We either face the threat and fight, or we show the threat our backsides and run like the wind! I think the premise is that we are all hard wired to react one way or the other. I’m not sure that I agree with that. I think that it can be a learned behavior. I also think that the “fight or flight” can kick in any time we face adversity or significant challenges; it doesn’t have to be life threatening.
Maybe we start out being “wired” one way or the other, but like a circuit, I believe we can be re-wired. That is one of the basic premises of the Army Airborne School. When you go to that school, they take 3 weeks to teach you how to jump out of an airplane and safely land. Does it really take 3 weeks to learn that? No. It does however, take 3 weeks to re-wire facing fear and responding to the most common parachute failures instinctively. When you’re falling at terminal velocity, taking time to ponder your options is not going to net a good result. So the Army takes 3 weeks to re-wire you to have new instincts to call upon, if needed.
Endurance running is similar. True development, true change occurs when you hit that distance that really challenges you. When, on a long run, you face obstacle after obstacle. When that inner voice that is pleading with you to quit starts to kick in. When the demons of naysayer comments creep back into your mind, “You’re too old for this,” “You’re too fat for this,” “Running is bad for your knees,” “Running for medals at your age is stupid,” “Running 26.2 miles is crazy.” All of these negative comments start to make sense when you’re hurting. But when you rise above that din of negativity, when you ignore the pain messages from your body, when you overcome the challenges and finish the run….THAT’S when real change occurs. After that, you are not the same. You are better….stronger….wiser. Maybe that is another reason why I love endurance running so much and yet have a love/hate relationship with marathon training. I hate the challenges that I know will come; I hate the pain that is part of the journey. Yet I love the sense of accomplishment when I overcome and finish strong. Even the runs that I survive more than conquer are victories.
On this latest 20 miler, I once again faced the demons. They were at mile 16. We ensued into a great battle for the next four miles. “You can’t do this” they hissed. “Yes I can!” I rallied. They broke out the heat exhaustion weapon; “you’re going down!” they chanted as my heart rate soared and nausea kicked in. “I will finish!” I shouted (literally) as I paused to take on more water, more Endurolytes and allow my heart rate to come down. As I continued down the trail, the demons persisted, “You’re barely running; just quit!” Okay, at this point my running probably resembled a slightly fast, bouncy walk but I kept going. I started to repeat my mantra “Never quit; finish strong” and I called upon a higher power for strength, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” By mile 18 I was able to run a slow but steady pace. Calf cramps were the last grenades thrown at me by those darn demons. Each time I’d pause just long enough to stretch then kept running. I drank more Heed as I ran, which quieted the cramps allowing me to run the last .25 mile w/o stopping. 20 miles done! Demons silenced! And once again, I am a changed runner. I now know that I can battle through the heat and humidity.
Isn’t that also true in life? It can be at work or in our personal lives. When we face adversity or challenges, we have a choice to make. Do we fight (take on the issue/challenge) or do we fly (avoid or run away from the issue/challenge)? This is where we can re-wire ourselves. Success breeds success. If you are prone to “fly,” make a concerted effort next time to “fight,” face the challenge/issue and overcome it. When we do that, even if the success is not as pretty as we’d like, we grow. We become stronger and more confident. Soon, things we used to fear no longer bother us. Yes, we can re-wire ourselves!
Try it and see. Never quit – Finish strong!
