There was once a time when I would drive past Albert Park Lake (aka Melbourne's Formula 1 Grand Prix track) and enviously watch runners glide past thinking "Gee, I'd love to do that". My first ever lap around the lake was with my mountain bike some years ago and I remember thinking that in itself was an achievement (all you hardcore MTB'ers are allowed to laugh at that).
You see, doing a lap of Albert Park Lake isn't exactly far - nor is it mountainous - it's just under 5kms / 3miles of flat sandy terrain. However it's the fact that you can see all the way around that has you thinking "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
This morning I had an introduction to Pilates (I'm a late bloomer) near the lake and planned to run around it afterwards, which is precisely what I did. I'd left the detachable transmitting part of my heart rate monitor at home, so I was jogging by feeling rather than digital feedback.
Not monitoring my heart rate meant that I had nothing to really focus on. I was able to look around, take a dozen self portraits documenting this momentous occasion and, dare I say it, think. I started getting bored and the words "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" chimed in my mind. I looked at my watch "Gosh, I've only been running 15 minutes!"
I had a mini panic attack "Oh my goodness, what happens if this occurs during the New York Marathon? Feel like I've been running for hours and it's only a few minutes? How will I get through it?"
Then the self coaching kicked in...
"Grace, you're running in a circle. You can see clearly across the lake - where you've come from and where you're going to. When you run through the suburban streets, you can only see the road ahead before it twists and turns. Just focus on what's in front of you and not the end".
So I continued to run around and focus on the time and not the distance. I could see the path whizzing underneath the gaze upon my watch. Before I knew it, I'd done it. I ran around Albert Park Lake. I had achieved a personal milestone - I had become that person that I once envied - and in the process, I learned a lesson...
Do not focus on the end. Just know that it's there and tis where you are heading, but do not fixate on it. Instead, focus only at the task at hand - what is right there in front of you. Devoting your focus on that will take you swiftly (and seemingly effortlessly) to the end.
Until tomorrow, keep the end in mind but focus only on the steps that'll take you there - you'll arrive feeling so much better. Oh, and avoid running around in circles ;-)
Grace xx
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