Follow your truth

After running nine miles last night with the Harriers, it was another very gentle mile and a bit for me this morning.

Twenty-eight miles in five days is something I haven't done for quite a while.

I do think my early morning mile works well just to get the legs warmed up and the blood pumping through, even when I do long runs the day before. No days off for recovery for me.

Although every piece of advice I read, particularly for someone in their 50's, states that it's critical to rest, my easier miles are my way of resting.

I do think that it just goes to show that there is no one size, or one solution, that fits all. We each have to find what works for us, and I'm not just talking about running.

I frequently hear the phrase, "Be true to yourself". I believe that one of the most important things we are all here to learn is what is true for us and what isn't.

Then it's about having the courage to follow your truth.

Right now, my mile-a-day seems to be true for me, and I hope it continues to be so for as long as possible.

What comes after mastery?

The first day of my fifteenth month of running a mile each day.

My quadricep muscles are still really stiff. I think I was being slightly overconfident by not stretching after Sunday's half marathon.

When will I ever learn when it comes to stretching?

I have now finished Daniel Pink's excellent book "Drive". In the book, Daniel Pink suggests that there are three key things that are most important to us when it comes to motivation.

The first is autonomy, which is not necessarily the same as independence. It's the ability to choose what we work on, when we work and who we work with, either within or outside an organisation.

The second key is to have the opportunity to develop mastery in what really interests us. This is the type of work that every now and then lets us experience the phenomenon that's known as "flow".

It's not about attaining mastery. Is it actually ever possible to do that? If it is, what comes after mastery?

The final key is to have the sense that what we are doing is contributing to something that is more important than ourselves and also more important than profit alone. This is what we might call purpose or making a difference.

Autonomy, mastery and purpose. Sounds like something worth aiming for, and in a funny way my experience in Sunday's half marathon ticked all those boxes.

Time to catch up

My legs were pretty stiff on my gentle jaunt around South Cave this morning, after yesterday's half marathon followed by a six-hour train journey up to Yorkshire.

I've delivered my three workshops for the day, which went really well and am now sitting in a coffee shop in Brough, waiting for the first of the three trains that will take me home.

I've been reading about intrinsic motivation again in my gaps between workshops.

I do think it's so true that the world, at least the western world, is changing towards being more motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose rather than by profit alone. At least it's true for individuals.

Now it's up to businesses and government to recognise this and catch up with the rest of us.

Fun at the Half

I really enjoyed pacing the 2 hour 20 minutes runners in today's Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon. My knee held up really well and the weather was perfect.

My legs are a little stiff as I'm about to head for the train to take me up to Brough for the three workshops I have to deliver tomorrow.

It's just a shame that I'll miss the Harriers festivities with free champagne for Half Marathon helpers at a local hostelry this evening.

It's amazing what a difference I find that it makes running just a little bit slower and being there to help others achieve their goal, rather than me pushing for my running goal.

I actually find it far more satisfying. I think I helped quite a few runners achieve their goal. Surely that has to be better than just me!

The perfect place

I ran my last gentle mile before tomorrow's half marathon this morning. I quite cleverly, I thought, managed to nip out between the rain showers.

Along with my running, the other reasonably regular action I take that really helps to focus and motivate me is my morning journal, where I do a brain dump of everything in my head for about 15 minutes with good old fashioned pen and paper.

I don't often do my journal on a Saturday, but this morning I felt that my head was rather full of "stuff" and that it might be useful to just get it all out onto paper.

This morning what came up when I was writing was the same old answer that I often come up with at times when I'm feeling tied up in knots.

What I wrote was, "What do I need to let go of? I need to let go of this not being the perfect place to be right now."

I don't know how many times when I've been struggling with something in my head, that this came up as the answer, and it's always completely liberating.

I also don't know why I forget that this is the answer. Somehow, if I just saw it written somewhere it wouldn't be enough. I seem to have to go through the process of finding it within myself.

But when I do, I feel lighter, happier and peaceful.

The old running and journal combo does it again!