Competing with Kindness

Last week, I was laying back in a bed getting my eyelashes done.. Spoiler Alert...I have FAKE Eyelashes and LOVE them. 

"Lena" my gal and I overheard a couple ladies talking. Lena responds quietly to me "Women should lift WOMEN up, we should be encouraging each other..." 

It is TRUE ladies. 

• We should be complimenting not criticizing. 
• Building up not tearing down.
• Listening and less speaking. 
• Caring and less cold.

I know for me how I feel when I get hurt or misunderstood by another lady. I often think "We are supposed to be on the same team...." 

I am far from perfect and some times insecurity trips up my best intentions leaving me guilty and more insecure. (Just being honest, I am sure none of you struggle with this...) 

Running is a competitive sport. Even my running friends compete silently with one another. We do this harmlessly but we do this. 

We compare training and secretly look at each others race results with no harm. 

I was once at a race where a guy asks me my name and says "Yeah, I know you, you are "______" arch nemesis." I didn't even know this gal. 

It wasn't intended to mean but rather a little friendly competition. 

I found myself playing the COMPETITION Game today. 

I am a competitive person. But not in a mean way, I won't Nancy Kerrigan you at a race. 

I went to GAC after dragging myself out of a pathetic state of laziness. 

The BEST part of having a gym membership in Michigan during the winter you can wear SHORTS or a SKIRT! 

TIME not DISTANCE. 

With about 2 miles in of trying to count my laps, my miles and focus on my splits, my mind was ready to explode. I decided to change it up and go by TIME. To run harder for 1 hour focusing on my splits not my mileage. 

**TRAINING TIP: New runners this is a great way to start running and not get discouraged. It is also a way I train for my ultras. Training hours on your feet helps to prepare you for the time you will be running. Running mileage can not prepare you for the unknown hills, roots, rocks, terrain or elevation that can make a 50 miler feel like a 100K and last that long. 

Back on TRACK..literally! Somewhere around mile three I came alongside a new gal running a good clip. I gently passed her.

She didn't like that. She quickly passed me back!

That's the problem passing people, you better keep your pace or they will pass you right back. I was now accountable to that pace. I had to HOLD IT. But she PICKED her pace up to pass me. 

MY THOUGHTS went like this:

"Oh yeah...you just had to pick it up and blast past me...."

"Ok, Ok, I got this...Steady, I just have to put myself on auto pilot..."

"Tuck in behind her, stay with her..."

"Keep up with her, let her do the work, stay with her Nita, don't let go..."

She was running very steady and strong , averaging a 8:10min.mi. 

I felt good, and I needed the push. Closing in on about 45 minutes she started to slow back, I had to pass her. 

"Your doing GREAT, hold on." I encouraged her. 

She was startled. "Thank YOU, You are doing great too." She then tried to keep going, but she fell behind me.

"Stay WITH me, let me pace you, your doing great, you were holding a steady pace in the low 8's."

And she agreed and tucked in behind me. We exchanged some encouraging words as we ran. Both of us strangers but connected through competing kindly. 

Sadly she fell off, but when I finished, as she passed me she turned around gave me a high five and huge smile, "GREAT job, thank you!" she hollered. 

December CORE Challenge..#Morecore

I felt so good. Soo good I did another mile and a half of pick ups, hitting the straights. 

Sometimes you don't know what you are chasing, you don't have the patience to figure it out but running backwards is not an option. 

I kept the faith, encouraged by another, making it up as I went. 

Worked hard:

Ran 7miles ISH..@ 8:10min/mi

1.5 miles with pick ups

Stretch, core and roll. Tuckered

“If you win through bad sportsmanship, that’s no real victory.” Babe Zaharias

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