Deep thoughts on a Friday

Hello!  My last post was a little… complaining… so I thought I would make this one more upbeat.  Or at least less whiny.  There should be no whining on a Friday!  Here are some interesting things from this week:

When All Moments Have Equal Value

I love David Cain, and his website, Raptitude.  In his recent article he talks about embracing all the moments that make up your life.

All moments can be appreciated, on a basic level at least, when you value the two opportunities each one offers – to respond skillfully to what’s happening, and to experience being alive for another moment. When this is what’s valued … an unpleasant moment is just as good as a pleasant one, sometimes better.

It’s so easy to grind through the day, looking forward to the next pleasurable experience- but the hard moments are just as much a part of our lives as the fun ones.  I love his concept of responding skillfully to every moment, good or bad, and taking pleasure in that.

The Pitfalls of Patience

In his newsletter, The Positive Split, Peter Bromka puts forth a different view on patience than what we normally hear.  He embraces the need to settle into a journey of long-term progression, but contends that it must be balanced with our dreams and aspirations, and not knowing when our big moments will arrive.

As runners we push past patience so frequently, and encounter injury so often, because we dream that on one special day we might escape the typical confines of muscle fatigue and oxygen debt, and bound freely toward a better version of ourselves.

And speaking of Peter Bromka…

Peter Bromka on Pacing the Pros and Seeing Desiree Linden Break the 50k World Record

This podcast where Jason Fitzgerald interviewed Peter Bromka was really fun.  On the day that Des ran her world record 50k, there were a few other runners on the course running a marathon.  Peter Bromka ran as a pacer for Chirine Njeim, and led her to a 2:36 marathon PR.  He and another pacer ran ahead of her, and her coach, Ryan Hall, was behind them on a bicycle.  It was fun to hear about the teamwork that went into that run, and how invested Peter was in the outcome, even though he had never met Chirine before that day.  Since the course was two out-and-back loops, they also were able to see Des on the course (she would call out to them “Looking good!” in true Des fashion.) It was a great story about the camaraderie that exists among runners.

That’s it!  Hope this brightens up your Friday!  I’m off to work where I will be focusing on skillfully responding to every moment… I’ll report back on how that worked out!

Do you like hearing stories about elite runners?  

Would you say you’re a more “patient” runner, or do you push past it in the hopes of a magical outcome, even though you risk injury?  – I definitely fall into the “risk injury” category, while my husband is the patient one.