Deciding to Run

This past year I decided I was done watching my husband and children run 5K’s together. I was tired of waiting at home as they went off to enjoy the challenge and community that running in races brings. I decided I would start running, something I had never done before and hadn’t really planned to do. Having never run a day in my life, I knew it would not be enough to simply wish to become a runner. I would have to build up my stamina and learn how to run properly. I began the process and little by little, I have learned a great deal. I asked the salesperson at the running store for advice. I asked my friends who run, and I asked my own children for tips they could share for how to make it to the end of a race alive. I wasn’t concerned with winning a speed record but finishing the race alive and breathing did sound good to me! I learned the proper way to stretch and how to slowly build up to the desired distance. I registered for the 5K in my area and told just enough people about my plans to hold me accountable. I will admit that “running” is a liberally understood word in my world. What I call running looks more like jogging to most people, but I manage to run this distance multiple days a week. I not only achieved my goal of completing my first 5K with my family, but I can honestly say I now enjoy running.

 

In reflecting on the last months, I learned a great deal.  In addition to countless facts regarding physiology and running shoes, I am reminded that simply wanting to run would never have been enough. My desire to join my family was the start but that alone would not have allowed me to achieve my goal. It was the planning and attention to details that allowed me to successfully finish the 5K and walk away feeling proud and accomplished. This is the case in everything we do. Running is not the only activity requiring planning. Having a goal and an action plan for how to achieve it are what lies between merely having dreams and accomplishing them. After all, if a dream is important enough to have, it should be realized.

 

Let me help you and your organization realize your goals by helping you articulate them and by developing a plan for how to achieve them. Even if you’ve never run that 5K, it’s never too late to get started.