The Journey and the Destination

We've all heard the phrase, "It's about the journey, not the destination". Well, this past weekend made me rethink that. I think it's about the journey AND the destination.

Let's talk destination. Where I hoped to be at the end of my journey. There I was in Kelowna with a few hundred other wild and crazy people. Outside in -10 degrees C. At 6:30 a.m.  In the dark. In running clothes. Ready to conquer the half marathon run. I started off at the  gate and hoped to end up at the finish line. If  I never ended up there, no matter how well I ran, it would be all for naught. No medal. No cheers. No wonderful sense of accomplishment. No name and time on the record sheet. 

Now let's talk journey. Everyone's run looks different. The destination might be the same, but how and when they arrive is as individual as the participants. Some people are totally focused and pace themselves perfectly, crossing the line in record time. Their limbs are in fine form and they have followed the training manual to a T. And no accidental spills or unfortunate events have occurred. Some run with friends and care not how quickly they finish the event. Only THAT they finish the event. Most importantly, that they finish the event with their buddies. And the majority find themselves somewhere in the middle. They are focused, they run as much as they can, and walk when they need a break. They may stop to help others along the way, and lend a cheery 'hello' or 'beautiful day, isn't it? ' when it seems appropriate. Then they promptly refocus and steadily move along, determined to do the best they can.

Outcomes can change quite quickly. A potty break or two can add minutes to one's time. A sore foot or knee can play havoc with the best laid plans. A much needed drink slows one down. A runner stumbles or two runners collide.  When that happens, a choice must be made. Enjoy the journey regardless or beat oneself up for not being more careful in the training months before, and the subsequent race. .

My sister and I chose the former. We decided to have some fun. We both didn't fare too well in the training regimen. You could say we lacked in the discipline department, which determines if one will  truly do well in a 21K race (Lesson learned: If you are truly serious about running a good race, get support from your fellow runners!) . Luckily, we were both in the same boat. We both started out fairly strong, but then those nasty pains started surfacing. For some reason my knee was giving me lots of grief and Sis had a few pains of her own. So, we decided to make the best of a bad situation by ENJOYING the journey. When we could, we ran. When we couldn't, we walked. And we laughed. And we talked. And we listened to our iPods. And we acted out the songs we were listening to on our iPods. Which meant we laughed, and sometimes it was hard to stop. I'm sure people thought we were weird, but when you're in midlife, you really don't care anymore. :)  I can assure you, all that laughing made our endorphins not only release, but SQUIRT out!! Despite my knee pain, I felt strong through the entire run. I know I could have done pretty well if I was injury free (and I'm not just saying that), but it was not to be.

No, I'm not proud of my time. Not in the least. But I did beat last year's walking time (and that was a fast walk!), so I'm somewhat satisfied. I vow to be more serious about training for the next run. And there WILL be another.

Interestingly, whether you finish first or you finish last, the crowd at the end cheering you on makes you feel like you're an Olympic athlete. Everyone needs to feel that love sometime in their life. Nobody much cares whether you take one hour and 10  minutes or 3+ hours, whether you are young or old, coordinated or stumbly- bumbly, in fine form or questionable. After all,  every participant is valued in this race and running through that finish  gate, having your name called --- well, that's pretty special no matter who you are.

May we all run the race (enjoy the journey)  to win the prize (reach our destination)!

(pics may be added a little later)