Today, my friend John K ran his personal best in the Rockford Marathon – 3:44. I have been anxious all morning to hear the news of his results. I am so excited I can’t stand it – I think I am happier about his time than I have ever been about my own.

I met John a few years ago when he joined the Chicago Joints in Motion Arthritis Foundation Marathon Team. He was so nervous – he had never run a race longer than a 5K. In his training, he was the model “student.” He followed his schedule fanatically. We all said we “wished” all our participants were so diligent about following the schedule. He ran the Chicago Marathon (a great first marathon), and was hooked.

Today was John’s 7th marathon, and he is still as fanatical about following his schedule as ever. He set a goal to run under 4 hours and took action to achieve it. He ran through the winter in Chicago, many days having to train on a treadmill. He attended “speed” classes, yoga, core strength classes, and even used vacation days to get his long runs in if he had to travel on a weekend, rather than miss a long run – he was determined to do whatever it took.

John is a success story. His determination, dedication, and persistence paid off. We can all learn something from John’s example.

John, congratulations…and thanks for the inspiration!

Physical and mental tests – we face them everyday. A few weeks ago in one of my blog posts, I mentioned how I was tested in my training all winter with the cold, snow, ice, rain, and wind. But I am certainly not alone.

Today, over 100 people ran in the Boise Famous Potato Marathon – in near record-breaking heat. Boise has not had a truly hot day since last August. Do you think those people were tested? Marathoners (runners and walkers) are among some of the most dedicated and die-hard people I know. You can bet those people who signed up for that race today were out there giving it their all.

Tomorrow, a group of my friends will be running and walking in the Rockford (Illinois) Marathon and Half Marathon. It looks like perfect race weather, a nice flat course, and a relatively small field of participants. Sounds like a perfect day – yet all of them will be tested in some way. And, I have no doubt that they will persist and succeed – because I know them – and they are determined.

It takes great courage to face the tests we encounter – to stay in the game and not give up. Remember: How you do anything is how you do everything. When you are tested, and you will be, step up and meet the challenge. Accomplishing really hard tasks makes your success much more meaningful.

Brian Tracy, leader in personal and professional development, writes of an old saying: If you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you can be pretty sure that it will be the worst thing you do all day.

Most of us have frogs to eat everyday. But instead of just eating them and getting it over with, we let them pile up and they end up hopping all over our desk.

Work, family, recreation – we all have so many things to do, so many responsibilities, that we can feel overwhelmed with what to do first. And, often we just freeze – that is, we don’t do anything. It’s the “P” word that we all struggle with sometimes – “Procrastination.”

There is a way to beat the “P” word – (more…)

My mother probably had 20 bird feeders in her yard. She attracted Baltimore orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, dark-eyed juncos, and of course, starlings, sparrows, bluejays, and blackbirds. She would tell us that even the blackbirds need to eat.

But one of her favorites was the cardinal. And, although she believed all her birds to be beautiful – even the blackbirds – she thought the cardinal was the most beautiful of all the birds.

She had many simple but wise sayings which I find myself not only passing along but also using as life lessons.

Her philosophy was simple: “Everybody can’t be a cardinal.” She believed that all things were beautiful in their own right, and when anyone would say something about someone else, she would respond, “Everybody can’t be a cardinal – some of us are sparrows.”

Although she passed away in 2003, her simple, yet philosophical, expressions live on as does her love of birds. Anytime any of us see an unusual or beautiful bird in our yard, we always say that “Granny sent that bird to us.”

Yesterday, my daughter Kelly called me on her way to work. And as she was walking along a Chicago city street, she told me that she saw the most beautiful red cardinal. We both thought of Granny, and I said, “You know what Granny would say?” And, of course, she said, “Yep.  Everybody can’t be a cardinal.”

Listening and hearing are two totally different things. I’m sure someone has told you, “You’re not listening…I said…” We have all had that exact conversation. Chances are, you probably were listening. But chances are, you weren’t hearing.

There are so many reasons why we don’t hear what others are telling us:

• We’re too preoccupied with what we’re going to say back
• We’re preoccupied with something else on our minds
• We’re not that interested in what the other person has to say
• We’re physically doing something else while the other person is talking

And the list goes on. Basically, we’re just not paying attention because we’re too focused on ourselves. We do live in a “me” culture in which people are not practiced in focusing on what the other person has to say.

I challenge you to focus on others – practice hearing what others have to say – just for one day to start with. Resist the urge to reply with something like, “Yes, well when I…”  Ask more questions, show interest, give your undivided attention. You will learn some interesting things about both others and yourself.

Have you put off making that phone call you know you need to make? Have you meant to clean up your email messages? Have you started making healthier choices at the grocery store and at restaurants? Have you been meaning to get started again on that exercise program? Do you honor your commitments? Are you on time for meetings? Are you prepared for meetings? Do you feel like you’re always in a hurry?

How you do anything is how you do everything! That may not be exactly what you want to hear, but the truth is – if you put off doing little things, you probably put off doing the big things. And, if you don’t keep the easy commitments, chances are people won’t rely on you to do what you “say” you’re going to do.

In my May 1st post, I mentioned this very statement: How you do anything is how you do everything. Like anyone else, I have to work at applying this principle everyday. So, as reminders, I post note cards in strategic places around my house with this principle on it – a key one being on the table beside my bed. That way, if it’s raining and I have 5 miles on my schedule, I feel guilty if I don’t get up and get going. The way I look at it is this – if you can safely take a shower, you can run in the rain.

Be aware of what you do – this awareness will help you stay in the moment and focus on the process, whether it is at work, in your recreational activities, with your family, or in your attitude.

I suggest you practice this principle – it may seem like a dorky thing to do (posting signs around your house). But remember: you are independent of the opinion of others! So, post those signs!

For the first time, yesterday I ran the foothills of Boise – a totally new and different experience for me. And, it was so much fun.

I’ve always been a road runner, mainly because I haven’t lived near trails. I’ve read about trail running, heard people talk about trail running, but I haven’t run them myself – until now. It was challenging and exhilarating.

Although we just ran an “easy” path, I did not find it that easy. I had to watch my footing – which was a challenge in itself because I preferred to look at the gorgeous surrounding terrain. As I got to the top of the small foothills, I looked across and saw runners off in the distance running along the trail – it looked like something out of a movie.

I’ve been accused of being pretty set in my ways sometimes, and I have to admit, I do like routine and planning. But this was something totally out of my routine and realm of experience. It is liberating and refreshing to do new things in new ways.

With so many trails to explore, I may be experiencing new “paths” a lot more.

This morning, 5 days after last Sunday’s marathon, I ran an easy 3 miles along the River. I still have a few aches and pains, but for the most part I feel great. No watch, no headphones, just me, the path, and nature.

I had plenty of time to reflect on things as I ran pretty slowly, and I scanned the years of training and races and people all along my “running path.”  I spent a little more time thinking about my most recent endeavor and the past 6 months.

There was a time in my running (not so long ago) when I believed that in order to legitimize myself as a “real runner” that I HAD to qualify for Boston. Over the past 6 months, my  perspective has changed. I think my earlier belief was really based on what other people thought which I assimilated into my own belief system.

However, more so than any single race, I think my training in the last 6 months and my accumulated running experiences, in my own view, have “legitimized” me. I ran a sub 4 hour marathon in the 2005 Lakeshore Marathon in Chicago (which was inaccurately measured to be a mile too long and thus didn’t count). It didn’t count officially, and I guess I let that “not count” for me. But, really, I was letting it “not count” according to other people, too.

I have said for years, “I am independent of the opinion of others,” and in most things I think I am. But in this particular case, I think maybe I wasn’t as “independent” as I thought I was.

I have passed that threshold now. What matters is not what others consider “legitimate.” What matters is what I think. And, here I am, finally, allowing myself to acknowledge that I have run my sub 4 hour race, and I now what stands out in my mind is what a great “time” I had running that race and every race. Somehow, the clock “time” just doesn’t seem that important anymore.

You have probably heard the expression, “What you think about expands.” For example, if you focus on all the things that are not going right in your life, that’s exactly what you’ll see more of. Instead, if you focus on all the things that are right and are grateful for whatever appears, then you will see an abundance of good things.

Anytime you allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, you are lowering your energy level and making it easier for more negative, or bad, things to “get in.” On May 1st, I talked about how negative thoughts weaken us. I hit a rough patch in my recent marathon around mile 21. I could have gotten frustrated, mad, down on myself, and given up – knowing that I wasn’t going to meet my target finishing time. But instead, I pushed through the rough patch and persisted. I didn’t run the race I had originally hoped for, but I ran a great race. And, instead of being upset about it, I focused on all the terrific things that happened that day – top of the list, finishing my 15th marathon without injury.

Everyday I focus on how grateful I am in a Gratitude Journal – I record just one (of many) things that I am grateful for that day. And, because what I think about expands, everyday brings something new to be grateful for.

Give it a try – Start keeping a Gratitude Journal, and you will be amazed at what shows up in your life!

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The days and weeks after a marathon can feel like you’re in limbo. You can’t run or cross train for a few days because you’re too sore. You are still on your “high” from finishing a marathon – 26.2 miles is a long way – but no one really wants to hear the mile-by-mile replay. And, your energy is still zapped. You may feel a little “down” because

1. you have trained for a long time, worked really hard, accomplished your dream goal and are now asking yourself, “How can I top that?” or
2. you have trained for a long time, worked really hard, and didn’t quite accomplish your goal and are now asking yourself, “Where do I go from here?”

Or still, you may feel a little sad, and you just don’t know why. This phase, which can occur anywhere from days following a race to weeks afterwards, is often called the “postmarathon blues.”

The best way to beat the postmarathon blues… (more…)