I heard a little story that I thought was somewhat amusing, but it also started my wheels turning as I got to thinking about what it really means. There was a particular Indian tribe that had developed quite a reputation because of their success with the rain dance. Word had traveled far and wide about how, if you need rain, you should call on this tribe, because, when they dance, it rains. Finally, one newspaper reporter got lucky enough to land an interview with the chief, and the first thing he said to the old leader was, "I've heard so much about what good rain dancers you have in your tribe, and what everyone all around the country wants to know is, how do you do it? Are there some secrets about how you dance that make you more successful?" The old chief thought a minute, then replied, "No...no secrets. We just dance 'til it rains." There's one little phrase that comes to my mind as I think about that story: "Perception is reality."
Those of you who know me or have read several of my blogs will know by now that I'm a marathoner. Running 26.2 miles is quite a challenge, and it requires weeks and weeks of intense training, which we do four mornings a week, every week. Our most common starting time is 5:30 AM...which means that we're out running before the sun comes up. We know that if there are going to be some hills in the marathon, then it is much better for us if we do some of our training on hilly terrain. One thing that we've talked about that seems to make our training a little easier is if we can hit the worst hills before daylight, we can't see them as well, and they're easier to climb. Those hills are just as high and just as steep at night as they are in the daytime, but there's just something about seeing them that puts these negative thoughts in our minds that this is going to be tough...and when we think it's going to be tough, it is.
Now, with that in mind, I just had a whole new revelation concerning the hill training. When we're actually running in the marathon, we never run while it's still dark...it's always broad daylight, and we can see those hills clearly. Too clearly. And they're scary. That leads me to ask this question, "Would a blind runner have an easier time in the hills?" Probably. Fortunately, none of the runners in our group are blind, so we need to come up with another solution. Here's what I've come up with: During our training, we need to see the hills. We need to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes to conquer them, then when we face the hills during the actual run, we won't feel so intimidated. I'm willing to try anything that makes us believe that those hills are easier to climb.
Maybe we should do a hill dance. The first time we try it, we may not be able to notice much of a difference, but I'll bet if we dance every day before we do the hill training, and do it four days a week, those hills will eventually become easier to climb. That should work with just about any area of our lives. One man was telling me about some over the counter medication he would take when he got the flu. He said it was guaranteed to have him well in just seven days, but when he didn't take it, he sometimes had the flu for a whole week. I used to sell some titanium filled necklaces that were supposed to give additional energy to athletes, so I tried one of them during one of my long runs. The next week, I ran without it. I couldn't tell any difference, but, I have to admit, I was skeptical before I ever tried them. I understand that some of my friends who believed in them from the start received a lot more benefit from them than I did. I did look pretty cool while I was wearing it though...at least that's what I believed, and, after all, perception is reality.
Preston
Those of you who know me or have read several of my blogs will know by now that I'm a marathoner. Running 26.2 miles is quite a challenge, and it requires weeks and weeks of intense training, which we do four mornings a week, every week. Our most common starting time is 5:30 AM...which means that we're out running before the sun comes up. We know that if there are going to be some hills in the marathon, then it is much better for us if we do some of our training on hilly terrain. One thing that we've talked about that seems to make our training a little easier is if we can hit the worst hills before daylight, we can't see them as well, and they're easier to climb. Those hills are just as high and just as steep at night as they are in the daytime, but there's just something about seeing them that puts these negative thoughts in our minds that this is going to be tough...and when we think it's going to be tough, it is.
Now, with that in mind, I just had a whole new revelation concerning the hill training. When we're actually running in the marathon, we never run while it's still dark...it's always broad daylight, and we can see those hills clearly. Too clearly. And they're scary. That leads me to ask this question, "Would a blind runner have an easier time in the hills?" Probably. Fortunately, none of the runners in our group are blind, so we need to come up with another solution. Here's what I've come up with: During our training, we need to see the hills. We need to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes to conquer them, then when we face the hills during the actual run, we won't feel so intimidated. I'm willing to try anything that makes us believe that those hills are easier to climb.
Maybe we should do a hill dance. The first time we try it, we may not be able to notice much of a difference, but I'll bet if we dance every day before we do the hill training, and do it four days a week, those hills will eventually become easier to climb. That should work with just about any area of our lives. One man was telling me about some over the counter medication he would take when he got the flu. He said it was guaranteed to have him well in just seven days, but when he didn't take it, he sometimes had the flu for a whole week. I used to sell some titanium filled necklaces that were supposed to give additional energy to athletes, so I tried one of them during one of my long runs. The next week, I ran without it. I couldn't tell any difference, but, I have to admit, I was skeptical before I ever tried them. I understand that some of my friends who believed in them from the start received a lot more benefit from them than I did. I did look pretty cool while I was wearing it though...at least that's what I believed, and, after all, perception is reality.
Preston
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