Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

I was recently training for a 5K (this is where the story quickly gets anticlimactic since I've already run it now - woot, woot!).  Anyway, there was one particularly interesting training run that I find worth mentioning.

One day I was running the same route in my neighborhood that I always do and minding my own business of course, when out of nowhere (or just maybe out of her village sidewalk onto the interior circle sidewalk) appeared a woman.  She, too, was running and entered the circle a few yards in front of me.  She had the exact some pace as me.  From behind, she appeared (significantly) older than me and not in as good of shape as me.  Now, I'm no size 2, but I should have been able to overtake her.  I mean, my endurance had to be better than hers for sure.  

But she was a machine.  She didn't even look like it was taking any effort to be my unwitting pace runner.  I entertained the notion of turning around and running the other direction.  But I wasn't sure if I could run clockwise around the neighborhood circle - I've never attempted that tricky maneuver.  Besides, I had the mileage carefully calculated and I would be completely befuddled if I took a different route.  She's the one that should have done an about-face.  I mean, what was she DOING running my route at my pace just out of my reach?!  

So I commenced giving myself a little pep talk that went something like this: Okay, Laura.  Just do your thing.  Don't worry about what anyone else is doing.  This is good practice for the actual race.  There will be plenty of other runners and most of them will be passing you.  You can't take that bait.  If you overexert yourself you may not be able to make it to the finish line.  

So we went on this way for a while.

Then the gap suddenly was closing between us.  She was slowing down!  At that point I had no choice but to overtake her.  It was just too annoying not to.  Besides, I was going to be stepping on the heels of her shoes-that-didn't-even-look-like-they-were-made-for-running at any moment.  Of course I had to kick it up a notch in order to pass her.  Almost immediately upon going by her, I could hear her right behind me.  She wasn't letting up.  If she passed me now I was going to be utterly pee-oed.  So I had to keep up that kicked-up pace.  But she passed me, anyway.  And then I had to slow down and literally struggle to keep going.

And so I stayed behind her until she veered off of the circle into the village from whence she came.  I consoled myself with the fact that I was running further than she did and needed a slower pace, but I still felt defeated.  I did not enjoy the run one bit because I was so darn aggravated!  Who was this woman sent to mess with my head?!  I had never seen her out running before and I have not seen her since!  There are other runners and walkers that I see every time I'm out there.  I know which ones will wave and say hello.  I know which ones will only smile, so I can save my breath.  I know which ones have never once made eye contact with me, so they're not even worth exerting eye muscles for.  But I have never seen this old, out-of-shape female machine running in our neighborhood so I'm convinced she was sent to torment me.  Or to teach me a lesson, one of the two.

Unfortunately, the lesson was not needed for the actual 5K run, since there were so many other runners and walkers to avoid, it was more like a game of dodgeball than a mental challenge to keep my own pace.  However, I think there is an analogy to benefit from, anyway.  

Live life at your pace.  Nobody else is on the same exact journey as you are.  Their equipment and tools are not the same as yours, no matter how they look.  And if someone is interfering with your mojo in life, you don't necessarily have to lock horns with her.  You might just be able to choose a different direction.  It may not be what you're used to, but life is supposed to be an adventure.