Work with what you have to deal with

When I got up to do my run this morning, I realized that I have to begin to slow down my mileage as my race is getting closer and closer. I usually do my 10.5 to 11 mile loop from my house but today I decided to do the smart thing and run 8.5 miles instead. My legs were a little heavy from all the running on the weekend and I made the mistake of wearing my CWX tights. On this day I found them a little too constrictive and I would have been better off wearing shorts.

I noticed right away that it was a pretty windy so I realized that this was going to be a tougher than usual run, even though I wasn't running my normal distance. Over this past winter I've had to run in some truly horrific weather conditions, but extreme wind and wind gusts, have go to be the worst to deal with. Because I've had so much practice running in them, however, I've realized that it's better to work within the conditions you are dealt with instead of trying to fight through them. What that means for me is that I have to slow down my pace, even to the point where it feels like all I'm doing is walking.

Running up a hill against a strong headwind, which is what I had to deal with today, reminded me of many conversations I've had with my clients about their own struggles. Whether it's working an overnight shift, dealing with a sick child, a spouse who is not supportive or even a death in the family, we all have to deal with our own "elements" on a daily basis. These can challenge us to stay on the right track. It's easy, sometimes, to just give up but if you can remember how important it is for you to achieve your goals then hopefully you'll take those smaller steps even if it feels like sometimes you are not going very fast.

What is important is that we keep taking those steps in the right direction and eventually we will get there. When I finally got to the top of the hill today I was able to appreciate the effort it took for me to get there and that propelled me through the rest of the run.

Instead of looking at what you haven't done, take pride in the accomplishments you have achieved. However small you feel they are, they are still steps in the right direction. Eventually those small steps will become even bigger and bigger and then you'll realize how important those small steps were.