Walk the Water Stops
I started running 11 years ago, at the age of 36, while we were living in Richmond. The Monument Avenue 10K is a popular race in the city, and a friend and I decided that we would follow a training plan and go for it. My husband had always encouraged me to start running and I am so glad that I did. Going out for a run has the ability to clear your mind and make you feel amazing. It gets the yucky out; that’s what I always tell my boys. They aren’t totally sold on signing up for races or adding it to a daily routine yet, but I’m working on it. Our daughter embraced running in the ninth grade, and it has truly become a part of who she is.
Running actually helped me get into writing. That seems like a strange transition, but when we moved to Lynchburg, I decided to put myself out there and contacted a local magazine to see if they needed new talent. Ok, maybe “new talent” is a bit of a stretch. But I wanted to do something so my brain wouldn’t turn to mush, and writing seemed challenging and fun. The editor asked for a writing sample. I think she told me to write about something personal, something that I know about or love to do. Oh no, panic. What the heck am I going to write about. What DO I like to do? I certainly can’t write about how I like to keep the house tidy. (See Blog Post 1) I ended up writing about how I became a runner, and I got the job. I’m actually reading that article right now and it’s making me tear up. Because the writing sample isn’t really about running. It’s about changing your mindset, getting out of your own head and accomplishing something you never thought possible. I’m also realizing that the writing sample seems eerily similar to a blog post; why did it take me 10 years to start writing this blog? Great segue to what this post is really about…..
A few weeks ago I was talking to one of my friends, Sarah. Funny side note about my friends in Lynchburg. When I say Sarah, I could be taking about Sarah G, Sarah P, Sarah E, Sarah H, Sarah D, another Sarah D, Sarah C, Sarah S…. I’m sure I forgot one- sorry Sarah!! Anyway, on this particular day, Sarah said something that was so profound, it transcended the context in which it was said. We were talking about running (to say she’s a runner is the understatement of the year) and I was lamenting about how I wasn’t ready for the Memorial Day 10K coming up. I told her I didn’t want to walk; I wanted to run the whole race. She looked at me and said “Jane, just walk the water stops. Catch your breath, regroup and run to the next one.” I agreed and we went on talking about something else; but later that day- lightbulb moment! What a perfect way to live our lives. We put so much pressure on ourselves to excel at our jobs, to be a great mom/wife/parter/friend, to look perfect, to eat healthy, and have it all together. So what if it took me 10 years to start a blog. I’m doing it now. So what if you can’t lose that last 5 pounds, if your yard looks terrible, or your life doesn’t look like a flawless Instagram post (that’s not real anyway)!
What if we took the pressure off, took a step back and allowed ourselves to just take a breath? What if we asked for help, and looked vulnerable? What if we told ourselves great job for once?
What if we just walked the water stops?
