Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLXIX

This is not a story about running....well, not really, but in a way it is....kinda. What I wanted to tell you is the story of two beautiful young women, both of whom I know quite well, and they also happen to be runners. In fact, I used to run with both of them, and I've had some great conversation with each one during some of our long pre-dawn runs. I actually don't know if the two of them have ever met, but they do have some things in common, and that's what I want to talk about now. One of the phrases in my previous statement is "I USED to run with both of them," which would indicate that I don't run with them any more. I guess it's true in one sense, and false in another, but I'll explain what that means later. Their names are Autumn and Valerie. One of them is a good friend and the other is my daughter. Back in the days when I ran with them, they were both living in the Monroe/West Monroe area, but each one ended up moving out of state. Autumn and her husband, Brian, moved to Conway, AR, and Valerie and her husband, JC, moved to Chattanooga, TN. The primary commonality between Conway and Chattanooga is the fact that both cities are extremely hilly.

Autumn and Brian have recently moved back to our area, so I'm now able to see her quite frequently now, and Valerie is family, so we see her on a fairly regular basis as well. One of the main things that struck me about Autumn and Valerie, and why I'm making this story about both of them, is how they changed in the same way after moving to new cities. They are so much stronger now than they were before they moved away. I'm certain that there are a number of factors that have contributed to their increased strength, but I have to believe that the hilly terrain can be credited for much of the difference.

I can sum up how I feel about hills in just one little three word statement: "I hate them." But should I? My friend, Greg Bailey, posted a quote on his facebook page a few days ago that said, "I've never met a hill that hasn't made me stronger." Climbing hills is not fun, but I need to face the fact that if I'm going to ever be the kind of person I want to be, I'm going to have to accept the fact there are going to be some challenging times where I will have to prove that I have what it takes to overcome. It would be nice if I could look ahead to times in my life when all the challenges will finally be behind me, and I guess I will eventually get there, but when I reach that time "in" my life, it will mean that the time "of" my life is over. When weight lifters achieve a level of strength to where the weights are not so hard to lift, if they want to become stronger, they will have to add more weights to the bar and start the pain and struggle all over again. If I'm not experiencing some struggles, that means that my level of strength has become stagnant. I have some friends who are going through some extremely trying times right now, and really all I can do for them is remind them that they will be stronger individuals when all of this is over. It's just easier to tell that to someone else than it is to say it to myself, so I may need for you to remind me about this when it's me that's facing the challenge.

So when I tell you that you're headed for some tough hills, please don't accuse me of being a pessimist, but thank me for my optimistic attitude, because I'm simply informing you that you are about to become stronger. If we set high enough goals for ourselves, we know that they can't be achieved without some serious struggles, and the hills that we have to climb are just parts of the path that leads us there. You and I both have some difficult challenges ahead, so it's important for us to keep in mind what kind of people they're helping us become. Who knows, we may even get to the point to where instead of dreading the hills, we'll learn to embrace them.

It's not totally false for me to say that I still run with Autumn and Valerie, because I still try. It's just that they're so much faster than me and I can't keep up with them. But, you see, they've had to conquer more tough hills than I have.

Preston