Lessons from another year

As I celebrated my birthday this weekend, I reflected on some of the lessons I learned that made this past year a pretty good one. Some lessons came from running and can be applied to life. Others were life lessons that can apply to running.

Don’t decide what you can and can’t do before you try. You may surprise yourself.
I never thought I would run 2 marathons in the same year again because my body couldn’t handle it. In fact, I ran 2 in 3 weeks and I held up just fine. Who knew?!

Set goals. But don’t be disappointed if you don’t achieve them. Learn from the process.
This one is hard, but I’m getting better. The reward is not as instantaneous as achieving the goal, but a lot can be learned on the way there. I didn’t meet my marathon goals this year, but learned A LOT from my races that I will definitely put into practice next time.

Surround yourself with great friends. Sometimes you need a hug and sometimes a kick in the butt. Different friends are there for different reasons and appreciate them all. Whether it’s the friends that texts from across the country to tell you they are proud of you, the friend that gives up her weekend to cheer you on in Burlington, or the friend that eats ice cream with you the day after your big race, remember how lucky you are to have them all.

It’s tough to be the boss. Last year I hired staff, fired staff, delegated, motivated, trained, explained, prioritized and organized. Being in charge is not easy and it doesn’t always feel great when tough decisions need to be made. When someone else steps up in a leadership role, it’s good to remember this and help out rather than criticize what could have/should have been done differently.

Tell your parents “I love you”. Especially when they really are the best. My parents have been to 9 of my 10 marathons, and the one they missed was because I gave them 10 days notice. My dad used to drive 4 hours on a Tuesday to watch me play a college volleyball game in Baltimore, only to drive home the same night. My mom’s hug is the one I look forward to most after a race. I really lucked out.

Double knot your shoelaces. And make sure all the other preparations are taken care of before the race/day/meeting starts. but if your shoelaces do come untied, you forget your lunch at home or you printed the wrong draft of the meeting presentation, it’s not the end of the world either.

Two days into my new year and so far, off to a good start. I truly cannot wait to see what this year brings!