Last year Keith completed the 50/20 in just over 21 hours. His feet were covered with blisters. Every toe was covered in blisters. Many of those blisters popped with 10 miles still to go in the race. Nevertheless, he kept going. During those toughest miles he had a "revelatory moment", a realization, a desire to change, and he developed a rock-solid determination to finish the race. It was the beginning of a momentous change for him that would carry him far beyond the race. His determination helped him to finish the race, though those last 10 miles were excruciating. He described to me how he literally crawled into his house and up the stairs when he got home. He wore slippers to church the next day because he could not wear shoes. He was sore for 2 weeks afterward.
A few days after that first race Keith decided that he was going to do the 50/20 again. Why??? Why put yourself through that? He said it was because he wanted to prove to himself that he could change and do better. He realized that he had been completely unprepared for the event. He had had no clear goal going in the first time, no preconceived idea about finishing. He thought he could walk forever on flat ground. He had not used the moral support available to him like he could have, not realizing he would need it so much. He was not physically or mentally prepared. What he realized afterward was that he did not understand that he needed to prepare, or how to prepare, or what he would need. He decided that he needed to do the event again, and this time be prepared.
He began by losing 20 lbs, and then getting an experienced trainer who helped him with a training program strategy, nutritional outline, and accountability. Keith began with short workouts at first to toughen up his feet and skin, gradually increasing his workouts as the event drew closer. He also figured out the calories per hour he needed, as well as hydration requirements. He passed his knowledge on to the youth who would be doing the event with him. Sometimes he would get discouraged because his workouts were not coming along like he had envisioned, or he was not able to meet all of his training goals. He learned to look back and see the progress he had made, and felt a determination to continue. It also helped him to be accountable to his trainer who would ask him about his workouts on a regular basis. He didn't want to tell his trainer he had not done his work. By the time the 50/20 came he had logged 500 hours in training miles and was much better prepared than he had been the first time.
Although there were some set-backs the second time around, the race was delayed by 2 weeks throwing him off his training schedule, and he had to go out of town shortly before the race, which knocked his sleep schedule off, Keith knew he was much better prepared than the first time. This time he had trained, figured out nutritional and hydration requirements, developed confidence, knew what to expect, and had the moral support he needed. Keith finished the race 8 hours faster the second time, completing it in 13 hours and 12 minutes. He had only 2 blisters on his feet at the end, one of which was very small. He walked into his house instead of crawling when he got home, and wore his church shoes to church the next day. He was not sore for even a day, let alone 2 weeks. What a difference!
As Keith told me his story I could not help but wonder at the parallel lessons to life his story represented. Keith himself shared his own thoughts on the subject. Here are a few of the parallels.
1. Just as a marathon gives your body a pounding, so life itself gives your soul a pounding.
Just as training physically toughens your body and increases your stamina, spiritual training toughens your soul to withstand the rigors of life better so that you can walk, not crawl to the end.
2. The event was the same, but Keith's changed approach to the event made his experience completely different. Being prepared made all the difference. Being prepared in life also makes all the difference. Often we cannot change what we face, but we can change our approach and our attitude, and do all we can to be prepared.
3. Keith sometimes got discouraged during his training for the 50/20, but then he would look back and see how far he had come. This helped him to stay positive and motivated.
Sometimes in life we get discouraged because we have not accomplished all the things we thought we would by this point in life, or things don't seem to be working out the way we had planned, or our progress seems too slow. Look backward and see your progress! See how far you have come. This will help you to stay positive and motivated.
4. Knowledge is power. Just as Keith learned about toughening his feet, hydration and nutritional requirements, moral support and training strategies which ultimately helped him succeed, so we have great access to knowledge in our pursuits. As we fail and then get up again, we can learn from the past and make better choices for the future.
5. Instead of keeping his knowledge to himself, Keith shared what he was learning with others around him who would be doing the race, which helped his whole group be much better prepared and more successful. As we share what we learn with those around us we will build and lift and help those around us as well.
6. Don't give up when the going gets tough. Though at times life can be full of blisters and pain, keep pushing to the finish. It is worth it.
6. Start small. Just as Keith started with short training's instead of taking on a huge goal, often we can be more successful when we start small instead of trying to accomplish something huge out of the gate. Weight loss for example - decide to lose 5 lbs to start with, not the whole 25 you want to lose. Smaller goals get you where you want to go incrementally.
7. Be accountable to someone. Keith was accountable to his trainer. He talked about how much that helped him to be successful. I suggest being accountable to a higher power, a spouse, a friend, or a combination of these. This is an important key to being successful.
8. Moral support. On Keith's second race he employed the moral support he needed. This same moral support was available to him the whole time, and could have been more utilized during the first race had he only accessed it. Let us use the the moral support around us as well. When we all help hold each other up we are stronger together.
What other lessons did you pick up about life from this story? Of the many listed here, or others you thought of, pick one to think about this week, and to work on through your own journey through life.
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