| Mileage | 5 |
| Time | 6PM |
| Location | Indoors – Treadmill |
| Weather | Clear – Cold |
Another 5 miler at the hotel. They had two nice commercial Precor treadmills in the fitness center along with a few bikes and some weights. The area was small but enough room for my needs. I turned on the TV to watch some hockey (what else in Canada) and cranked up my headphones to catch up on Buzz Out Loud.
I was about 2 miles into my 5 when a couple of younger guys came in to ‘pump up’. They went right for the weight machine which was directly in front of me and began their routine, switching off on different parts of the machine.
They kept looking over at me as if they were upset that this older guy (they were at least half my age) was showing them up with my steady pace. They decided to utilize the other treadmill next to me for some walking between their weight reps. One guy would fast walk while the other one lifted.
I must confess that I obtained a little satisfaction watching them get winded on the treadmill as I was cruising along and felling great. They gave up on the treadmill after about 20 minutes of combined work.
Many runners make it look so easy that we forget it is hard work to not only run, but to do it consistently no matter if you feel like it or not. There are many things in life that we take for granted, that pros or just enthusiasts make us think are easy, that we think we can do without much effort. Some of them require athletic ability, some of them are mental and some just require you to be a good person (remember not everyone is and acts of kindness are hard for some people).
There are also times when we think something is hard and it is in fact easy if you just put in the time or at least go for it ( again, acts of kindness, public speaking, driving a Nascar).
My son has a few new goals that he has set this week that at one time he would have thought to be impossible or at least too difficult. But as we gain experience and are always given that all important encouragement, we find that the goals are not so impossible. I always try to be positive with him but not at the expense of reality. I try to make sure and express my support for his idea but also make sure to give him a few of the negatives if appropriate and how I would approach and overcome those obstacles.
Its all about putting in the time to get better and more comfortable. Those two young guys just need to put in the time running and one day they will be able to keep up with me.