Personal Recap: Apr 2010
Movies
Yes, I have things to talk about on my running progress last month, but before you think I’m one dimensional, let’s talk about another one of my personal passions: movies.
I like all kinds of movies from special effects “guy movies” to emotional “chick flicks”, and everything in between. The movies that I end up loving though, the ones that go on my all time favorite list, have to bring something special. Last month I reconnected with one of those special movies Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I first saw this movie while visiting my sister in Chicago a year or so ago. While she didn’t care for it, I thought it was magical. Shopping at Target last month, I saw it for sale on an endcap and bought it. I’m not one of those movie collectors, in fact this is the first movie I’ve ever bought I think. I’ve since watched it a handful of times and am just as entranced by it as I was the first time.
The movie is based on a children’s book of the same name, and there is certainly a playful element to it, but real-world adult issues are dealt with throughout the movie. It could well be the theme movie of this blog, as I think one of the core themes is that of staying true to yourself, yet doing so responsibly within the world. One scene any of us over 30 or so can relate to, sums up this balance in very real terms. After Mr. Fox has created a situation requiring his entire family to go on the run (after breaking a promise to his wife), his wife confronts him on the issue. When Mr. Fox points out that “we are, after all, wild animals”, his wife replies by saying “yes, but you are also a husband and a father”. Conflict is not avoided in this movie, but neither is it wallowed in. Mr. Fox is, after all, Fantastic and the movie ends happily although with more than just a touch of “the consequences of your actions”.
I’ve seen a small handful of movies throughout my life I considered magical in their own right. Magic means different things to different people, but if you are a movie lover at all, I think you’ll enjoy Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Fitness
As you know from a couple months ago, inspired by that darn book I’m in the process of transforming from a short distance runner to a long distance runner. My goals are to run a 15 mile race/run by the end of this year, and a 30 mile race/run by the end of 2011.
April running
My April highlight was the trail race I had registered for. I’ve never been much of a race runner, preferring instead to do my own things, at my own speed, on my own trails. Then I came across an announcement that Xterra, was kicking off an Ohio trail racing series. That sounded like fun so I registered for the first race – Vulture’s Knob, listed as a 15K (around 9.5 miles) on a mountain bike track in Wooster. That distance was right at the limit of the longest I was running at the time so I knew it would be a challenge and I was really looking forward to it.
The race ended up being a lot of fun with the only downside being some rain falling for the first few miles. It was a challenging course with several decent hills. What I like most about trail running though is the scenery and this course didn’t disappoint – for the most part it was through wooded areas and it was gorgeous. I finished with a time of 1:43 for a pace just under 11 minutes a mile (#48). This put me squarely middle of the pack for all racers. While I wasn’t happy with the 11 minute pace (I was shooting for around 10), I was quite happy finishing middle of the pack. With around 100 racers of all ages present, and only a couple months training at the longer distances, I was quite satisfied with my finish position.
While I was able to finish, I probably wasn’t ready for a run of that distance under race conditions. For anyone who has run you know that race conditions take a lot more out of you than training. The race kicked my butt and it took a while to physically recover.
April lessons learned
My big April lesson learned was born out of that race – the importance of rest. After researching distance running training plans online, one thing I noticed they all have in common is a rest week. This isn’t a week where you do nothing, but a week where you let your body catch up to where you’ve pushed it. A typical training plan would be to increase your mileage 10%, run that for two weeks, then run your previous mileage for a week before upping your mileage again. Before Vulture’s Knob I had been all about push, push, push. After Vulture’s Knob I have a whole new appreciation for rest!
In April, I also learned I had slayed a Beast. When I started this journey I wondered if I had the passion to see it through. Time will tell, but I’ve already overcome several instances where I’ve got my running done even though I had lots of excuses at my disposal “do it tomorrow”. That leads me to this month’s time out…
April Time Out: Passion and Commitment
Almost any list of entrepreneurial qualities you see will list passion and commitment at the top of the list and I would agree. I know understand at a deeper level what’s so important about these two qualities, for me at least.
To be passionate about something is to feel the consuming nature of it – it’s all you can think of, it’s all you want to talk about, it fills your thoughts. Commitment brings an element of translating that passion into action. So put the two together and you take that “fire in your belly” and direct it, via your actions, into real world results. The most obvious outcome of this equation is that passion + commitment = goals. Without goals, committing to your passion really doesn’t mean anything.
My personal revelation though in April, and what has help me relate to (and in some cases evaluate) entrepreneurs, is what the combination of passion and commitment can make happen. What I found at least was, oddly, comfort. There have been times in my life that I was really passionate about something, and just never did anything about it. Other times I was committed to a goal, but ultimately didn’t follow through. With both passion and commitment involved in the process, I’ve found a comfort in knowing that I will do what I said I would do, without exceptions.
I have got my daily training in on the treadmill at 11 o’clock in the evening. I have rolled out of bed at 7 a.m. Sunday morning to get my long run in before spending a day with my parents. That’s commitment. Add in passion though, and what happens is that even if I didn’t get up early Sunday morning, I’m not stressing out all day wondering if I’ll have the commitment to run when I got home. I just know I will. I’ve seen this in some of the entrepreneurs I’ve worked with. A million things may be happening but they stay calm since they just know they will do what they need to do to accomplish their goals.
The real test, as we all know, is the test of time and keeping that passion and commitment at the levels required to reach your goals. I’d love to hear your comments on how to stay charged, how you recharge.
In closing
So that’s it for now; a pretty good month. I hope you all had a great April as well – what did you get accomplished? Leave me a comment and let me know what you’ve been up to. What’s your current personal goal(s) and what progress did you make last month?
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