Runaway Thoughts

The Chinese have a saying: The journey of a thousand li [miles] begins with the first step.

Tonight’s 21km medium run caps this week’s run to 51km. I will decide on how far and hard to run on Sunday morning, as I teach my last workshop for volunteer leaders of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games on Saturday.

Running offers an opportunity for epiphanies. Towards my last four kilometres, I was thinking of the story ‘Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. I made the connection that in old English, ‘y’ could substitute for ‘i’. Thus, the title of the split personality case could have been ‘Doctor Jack Kill and Mr Hide’. This story makes me wonder about pharmaceutical assistance in sports, and how prolonged use upsets your body’s equilibrium and affirms your status as a cheat. It is amazing how athletes can progress from nutrition to attrition in one decisive swallow. Other than this wandering thought, I was focused on my running gait, landing and discomfort on my body.

I am reading Dr Ben Tan’s book ‘Run For Your Life’ again, and applying his recommendations for training towards a marathon PB. There are lots of useful information and wisdom to be gleaned from this well-written and thoroughly researched book. With 10 weeks to go, I have a diet of core stability work, flexibility, hills, intervals and tempo training to get my body strengthened for my next marathon.

Starting a business is akin to running. You are either in it for the long run, or not. You have a learning curve that may start with a jog, than opens up into a full sprint. You need to stay focused on your goals, never losing sight of the markers along the way. You may need to remind yourself to stay nourished with productive conversations from seasoned players, experts and supporters. The first year is the tough year, and when you survive that, it gets tougher. However, toughness equates itself with resilience and robustness. You will develop stamina, smartness, and substance. Alongside a cumulative knowledge would be tacit wisdom, skill-sets and valuable relationships.

One foot forward at a time…