Today I hit a milestone I set for myself. I ran 3 miles (5K) on the treadmill. It took me 38 minutes. I have been working hard at this goal. As I have spent lots of time trying to get to this distance, I have noticed how many of the things I learn about how to be effective in reaching this goal apply to life in general.
1. Set a goal. I decided to meet my goal of being in a triathlon, I would start out by running a 5K, which is 3 miles. As young people, we are handed goals-- graduate from high school, go to college, get married, have kids, etc. But then you get to a point in life where you don't have any of those milestones left to reach. What then? I know I need to take the time more often to really ponder upon where I want to go in life.
2. Find out where you are. The first time I got on a treadmill, I didn't know how fast or how long I could run. I just had to do it. After doing the 4 mile/hour jog setting for 30 minutes, I decided I could increase to 4.5, and finally decided on 5 mi/hour as my goal speed. In life, I also find that much of the time I spend just doing the same things. I don't stretch myself to find out what I could accomplish if I would make a concerted effort.
3. Push yourself little by little. While running, every day I would increase the time that I ran by 1 minute until I got to my goal of 3 miles. It was a small change day to day. But I could see the change in distance as well as time. It motivates me to keep going. Small changes make it easier to keep up with it, rather than trying for a huge change all at once.
4. Know when to slow down. There have been times when I have taken breaks from running. Different life factors like motivation, vacation, and children's illnesses have caused me to take time off from my routine. When this happens, I find that I cannot just pick right up where I left off. Sometimes I need to slow things down so I can build up my strength again.
5. Use tools to keep perspective. I like having the readouts available on the treadmill to tell me how fast I'm going, how far I've gone, and what my heart rate is. It helps me to keep going when I don't want to any more. I will tell myself things like, "Just five more minutes!" or "Get that heart rate back down!"
6. Take deep breaths to decrease heart rate. Need I say more?
7. Don't pay attention to anyone else. While on the treadmill, you can see everyone else who is exercising. You can see who is going fast or slow, what their 'sweat-level' is, and with those close, you can see their distance, heart rate, and time. It does no good to compare any of these factors with someone else. I don't know anything about these people, and any way I compare myself will end up being inaccurate. I struggle with comparing myself to others, and need this reminder!
8. This isn't real life. Running on a treadmill reminds me of a hamster I had as a kid. There was a running wheel in the cage. No matter how long he ran, he never went anywhere. Treadmills are just simulated running. There are no bumps and turns, no wind or rain, no dogs or kids, no hills and valleys. I have really thought about this and how our lives get to be like this. We run in our little rut and believe that this is real life. And it is, for the here and now. But eventually the wake-up call will come, and we will realize there are people suffering, people starving, people who are struggling just to survive. I need to keep perspective on what life is really like, and how blessed I am.
Next I will be increasing my speed to prepare me for my first 5K!
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