So, I did what I knew best. I took my writer’s block out for a little run. Five miles into an eight-miler at 3:30 in the afternoon with the sun blazing and bugs kamikazi-ing into me, I thought to myself, if sidewalks could speak, they’d probably be ragging on me. For sure, they’d be telling me that I was getting my butt handed to me on a neon platter by the two other runners who were almost a block and a half ahead and weren’t even breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, I felt like I had strapped 20-pound weights to each of my ankles. That’s when it hit me. I couldn’t write, I couldn’t record, and I couldn’t even share this dilemma with the other people I was running with because they were too far ahead.

I started thinking about all the talks I’ve had while running with high school friends, college teammates, mommy friends, co-workers, and strangers. We’d talked about everything from how to make out to how to best hunt down the runners in front of you.

The reality is that my strongest friendships have developed over years and miles of talking while running. Granted, there aren’t many other options of things to do while running next to someone for 12+ miles week-in and week-out. You get used to telling stories with lots of descriptive and, all too often, unnecessary details.

By the time I got to mile 6, I realized that I would probably be in a lot of trouble if sidewalks did decide to speak up one day. There would be a high likelihood that I’d be accused of inflicting physical and emotional abuse. The physical abuse would encompass the constant spitting (yes, I spit when I run, so deal with it…it’s not one of the worst things that runners do while running anyway) and the inconsiderate sound of pounding on pavement brought about by my very loud running style which allows me to sneak up on absolutely NO ONE in any race or run…ever.

The emotional abuse accusations would arise from the bipolarity and the roller coaster-esque nature of my topics of choice for long run discussions ranging from a weekend recap, relationship status update, job hunt follow-up, milestone celebration, mommy moment meltdown, dinner date details, and the ever so tantalizing water cooler gossip. Only rarely have sidewalks confronted me with some not so subtle up-close and personal encounters, in which the pavement had clearly been victorious. But we’ve quickly brushed those off, made our peace, and put it behind us.

As my Garmin beeped away at mile seven, I noticed that whatever the topic, whatever the weather, and whoever the company, sidewalks all around the U.S. and a couple of other spectacular places around the world have gotten to know me way more than even some of my closest friends. They have always been around (for the most part, unless there is construction) to lend an ear, let me run my mouth, curtail any sobbing sessions, entertain my runs with one-step-per-sidewalk-division games, or simply just guide my route.

Those runs have helped me come to terms with many truths over miles of group and/or individual “therapy” sessions.

First truth is that running therapy is WAY cheaper than actual therapy.
And the second truth is a direct result of this series of conclusions:
There will always be another race.
There will always be another goal.
There will always be another city.
There will always be another flight.
There will always be another party.
There will always be another job opportunity.
There will always be another season.
There will always be another guy.
There will always be another adventure.
There will maybe even be another heart.
There WON’T, however, be another life
We’ve got one shot at this one, so take life in stride.

And just as I rounded the corner of mile eight, I thought to myself, if sidewalks could speak they’d probably be saying: RUN LIFE…don’t let it run you!

It is a classic maxim to say: we fail because of the little things we do or don’t do along the way. We all wake up some days wanting to do something, accomplish a goal or perhaps scratch something off our life ‘to-do’ list. More often than we would like to admit, nothing happens, the list gets longer and goals get wrapped up in excuses. It isn’t always because of a major setback, often it is simply due to the compilation of all the little things that didn’t get done or the little choices that didn’t get made along the way.
How we do things makes the difference in the end result we seek. Routines, schedules, training logs and road maps don’t confine us, they actually keep us from self-sabotage. No one ever became a 15 minute 5k Runner, a 3:45 half Ironman or a 4 minute miler out of the blue. We become successful in any facet of our lives over time from the little choices we make every day.
Here are some common mistakes that keep us from succeeding:

• We are waiting for the right time. We think that life will get easier. It doesn’t! We think we will have more time later. We won’t! We think that when life slows down we will be able to fit the things we want into our schedule. This is not the case. We have to decide that it is the right time to adventure, explore, start new hobbies, improve our times and health levels.
• We don’t want to take risks. Living is about taking risks. Risks that push our limits. Maybe we don’t push those limits for fear that we may reach those limits before our end result is attained That is okay! News Flash, everyone is too busy with their own lives to notice how close or far you have come to attaining your own goal.

• We don’t listen. We hear sounds all day, but we have a listening problem. We don’t listen to our hearts, our instincts or our bodies. We need to quiet ourselves enough to hear what each of those is telling us.
• We blame. Instead of taking ownership of our faults, we blame the environment, the shoes, the race course, our schedule and our families. Let us be honest. We need to start the New Year owning our end results. That will be the only way we can begin the journey to change.
• We don’t make the hard changes. Making the same choices over and over again, expecting different results is the definition of madness. We cannot drop our time in the next half marathon if we keep training at the same pace and continue with our inconsistent workout regimen. We cannot lose the weight we want if we keep eating the same amounts of the foods we know are harming us.

Let us leave the grand plans and lofty goals to make changes in our lives aside for a second. Life is in the little things, and success, even more so. Let us stop waiting for that utopian mentality or the perfect time, it is never going to arrive. Harness the present and make it what we need it to be. Instead of setting our sights on a new PR, maybe we can focus on improving our form. Instead of focusing on passing a certain runner during the next workout, we can focus on optimizing our stride length. Do not complain about a race result, we could listen to our body’s need to rest and instead of getting consumed in the things we didn’t accomplish, we could focus on the little things we want to get better at doing.
We are not alone on this journey! Surround yourself with people who are making little choices every day, those are the people who will do big things. Allow yourself to feed off their energy. If you cannot find those people be that person. Start that movement in your own circle. Always remember that how we do things makes all the difference and we fail because of the little things we do or don’t do along the way.
May your 2016 be full of consistent little choices that will lead you exactly to where you want to be.
Have a happy New Year