Last week, I ran seven days in a row for a total of 100 miles. I am four weeks until the Sinister 7 ultra marathon. This last week, my coach had me simulate each of the seven legs of the race every day. On Thursday, I ran a simulated Leg 6, the most challenging leg of the course. I ran 31km with 1700 meters of elevation gain in 5 hours and 39 minutes.
I ran from my house along the single-track Highline trail all the way to the trailhead of Ha Ling Peak. I then ran (power-hiked) up to the summit of Ha Ling and back to the house.
About an hour and a half in I had only covered about 8km of the technical, rolling terrain. My first instinct was to admonish myself for not being a faster runner. I quickly caught myself and changed the story. I have not missed a single workout all year. I am in the best shape of my life.
The mantra switched from “Damn, you are slow” to “You don’t have to be fast; you just have to be consistent.” I started to feel a little better. It’s true I don’t compete in these races to place; I compete because of the practice of discipline and consistency they require to finish them.
Then, I got to the Ha Ling trailhead. It was a busy Saturday and many folks were heading up at the same time as me. Most of the tourists I blew by in a hurry. However, one young man, likely 25 years my junior, started at the same time as me.
Much to my chagrin, he was pulling away from me. All of a sudden, the “Damn, you’re slow.” mantra roared back into my head. I tried to keep up with him, but he kept pulling away. I have to admit it was in my head a bit.
After about a kilometre and a half of climbing, I finally caught him. He was pulled over to the side of the trail breathing heavily. I joked, “I thought I’d never catch you!” He replied, “Yeah, I think I went out a little too hard.”
I made it to the summit and back down without seeing him again. I don’t know whether he gave up and turned around or if I just missed him.
Once again, I was reminded, “You don’t have to be fast; you just have to be consistent.” This is especially true for leaders. The story of the Tortoise and the Hare comes to mind. So the next time you get down on yourself for not being “fast” enough, remember, you don’t have to be fast. You just have to be consistent.
