Learn To Laugh At Yourself
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself – Charlie Chaplin
Throughout my, all be it, short running life I have learned to make fun of myself. This news isn’t new in the rest of my life either, but in respect to running I have had to learn this trait. As with any new hobby most men go out and feel like they have to buy every single piece of equipment, clothing, gear, hat, accessory, magazine, flavor, you name it! We have to have it all! We can’t succeed if we don’t have it.
With that thought in your mind, I learned a valuable life lesson one day during lunch that made me step back and take a long look at myself and just laugh. Training for my first marathon I was all about the gear. If it was in the front, middle, or back of Runners World magazine I had to have it. Needless to say, I bought most of it. One morning I went out on my normal 5 mile training run, with more gear than Batman. Running down the road with all this gear must have look pretty funny, but that’s not where the lesson was learned. As I came home I immediately had to tell the family how the run went and explain how sweaty I was. I then took the next five minutes to take all the gear off and begin the normal morning prep for work routine.
During these training days I would many times head to the local YMCA for a lunch time swim or run on the treadmill if it was raining outside that morning. That particular day was a swim. I could put in 1000 yards in 20 minutes and be back to the office within the hour, shower and all. For some reason this day I was feeling exceptionally great, that is until I jumped into the shower after my swim. Now, during this swim there was a group of moms and kids swimming in the side pool, along all the lap lanes filled with swimmers. But back to my shower, as I began to cool down from the swim and do a quick wash over I looked down and noticed two little white dots over my nipples! I FORGOT TO REMOVE THE TAPE FROM MY MORNING RUN!
Now for those who aren’t runners, many times you will get nipple chaffing which is very painful, my protection of choice is white medical tape. As I stood there in the shower, all the sudden every single face in that pool flashed before me and all I could do was laugh. I dried off, removed the tape, and walked out with my head held high.
The lesson I learned was that all that gear I was wearing didn’t make me run faster, but sure did keep my mind off removing my nipple tape and making a complete fool of myself!
Keep, keep, keep – at it!
I ran a trail race a few weeks ago, getting passed by people I would have ten years ago been doing laps around. At mile 2, seriously had to slow and walk due to knee pain. I did walk – a bit; then ran again as allowable. Then ran, then walked, then ran, then walked my way to that there finish line.
Got the hat (in lieu of shirts), relaxed the remainder of the morning, reveling in the beautiful Winter, cool morning.
I wrestle with what others think of me, how fast/slow I run; but my most enjoyable runs are on the trail – either with you or by my lonesome, and when I walk, it’s ok, it’s good. I enjoy slowing to a pace where I notice the birds, the trees, the forthcoming Spring flowers, the grass, the deer.
I also enjoy running fast,or remembering how I once did!
So fun and grand to be able to move through space.
I’m a believer that that’s the way God designed it; why else would your body, mind and spirit get sharper and stronger the more you do it?
Peace, in Him,
R.
March 15, 2012 at 8:21 pm