What Running Can Teach You About Patience
23/08/23 00:07
I used to take my impatience for perseverance. Then, I realized that being perseverant requires you to be both active and passive.
Instead, I was a permanently active force, not giving things time and space to develop at their own pace.
I think impatience comes from a high concentration of corporal and mental energy.
The energy that doesn’t find its way out can make you physically and emotionally ill. This happens when someone doesn’t know how to express their feelings.
Similarly, over-expression can make you feel drained because if you are constantly emptying your cup, you'll always have an empty cup.
The good news is that running is an extraordinary medium for energy to flow and bring peace to your mind. At the same time, it is a Master of patience.
Let me share some lessons I’ve learned about being patient. I hope they will be helpful for you in your own personal journey.
Sometimes, the phrase “be patient” produces in us an adverse reaction.
Maybe it reminds us of when we were a child, and Mom or Dad couldn’t provide what we wanted when we wanted.
So, “be patient” translates in our brain as: “Sit and wait because I don’t know if I’m giving this to you.”
However, the reality is that patience is not necessarily about time. Indeed, time is relative because progress is different for everybody.
It’s common to hear about people who have been training for one year and still finish ahead of veterans in long-distance races.
Thus, when I talk about being patient, I mean being comfortable with your own progress and keep building up regardless of time.
You might call this consistency, but there is a difference between being consistent and patient:
Another myth is that patience means sitting and waiting on a plan.
In running, we “sit and wait” when we pick a training plan and become so inflexible that we lose all motivation or stop seeing progress due to lack of variation.
Not introducing variation in running or life is an antinatural behavior. Everything in nature is permanently readapting and evolving.
When I set the goal of running 100 kilometers per week, I distributed the total among each day of the week. Then, I increased the load by 10% each week, starting with 50 kilometers.
It became so monotonous and boring that I wasn’t enjoying the run at all. I was there for the miles.
Only when I detached from tracking miles and focused on strengthening my physical, mental, and spiritual endurance I began to run again because I wanted to.
I also introduced some cross-training, such as the elliptical, walking, and strength routines. This approach made the process more enjoyable than sticking to an inflexible plan.
We can do many things while we wait, regardless of what we are waiting for. But I think the key is doing those things that will get us closer to what we want.
Are you training for your first 10KM? Indeed, you want to run maybe 3 or 4 days per week, but you also want to:
Are you waiting for a salary increase? Maybe you can learn a new skill in the meantime.
Learn with so much enthusiasm that it becomes impossible for the Universe or your company to resist the recognition of your goodwill.
Are you waiting for your future espouse? You can work on yourself while you wait, so when this incredible person comes into your life, they will find a version of you ready to grow together.
It’s about being actively patient and passively faithful:
In a way, this reminds me of a verse from Isaiah 40:31:
This is a beautiful reminder of how faith and confidence can make the wait sweeter and even surprise you with unexpected rewards.
Instead, I was a permanently active force, not giving things time and space to develop at their own pace.
I think impatience comes from a high concentration of corporal and mental energy.
We want the plant to grow so badly that we unnecessarily increase the amount of water and sunlight, causing the opposite effect.
The energy that doesn’t find its way out can make you physically and emotionally ill. This happens when someone doesn’t know how to express their feelings.
Similarly, over-expression can make you feel drained because if you are constantly emptying your cup, you'll always have an empty cup.
The good news is that running is an extraordinary medium for energy to flow and bring peace to your mind. At the same time, it is a Master of patience.
Lessons on patience from my running practice
Let me share some lessons I’ve learned about being patient. I hope they will be helpful for you in your own personal journey.
Being patient doesn’t mean that things will take long
Sometimes, the phrase “be patient” produces in us an adverse reaction.
Maybe it reminds us of when we were a child, and Mom or Dad couldn’t provide what we wanted when we wanted.
So, “be patient” translates in our brain as: “Sit and wait because I don’t know if I’m giving this to you.”
However, the reality is that patience is not necessarily about time. Indeed, time is relative because progress is different for everybody.
It’s common to hear about people who have been training for one year and still finish ahead of veterans in long-distance races.
Thus, when I talk about being patient, I mean being comfortable with your own progress and keep building up regardless of time.
You might call this consistency, but there is a difference between being consistent and patient:
- Consistency means doing the same thing over and over again for a specific period. Repetition is the keyword here. Hence, consistency is not always adaptable.
- Patience requires you to be adaptable because the keyword is endurance, and the only way you can endure is by being open to readjusting.
You’re not supposed to be doing the same thing
Another myth is that patience means sitting and waiting on a plan.
In running, we “sit and wait” when we pick a training plan and become so inflexible that we lose all motivation or stop seeing progress due to lack of variation.
Both lead to inconsistency because why would you keep doing something you don’t enjoy anymore or is not giving any results?
Not introducing variation in running or life is an antinatural behavior. Everything in nature is permanently readapting and evolving.
When I set the goal of running 100 kilometers per week, I distributed the total among each day of the week. Then, I increased the load by 10% each week, starting with 50 kilometers.
It became so monotonous and boring that I wasn’t enjoying the run at all. I was there for the miles.
Only when I detached from tracking miles and focused on strengthening my physical, mental, and spiritual endurance I began to run again because I wanted to.
I also introduced some cross-training, such as the elliptical, walking, and strength routines. This approach made the process more enjoyable than sticking to an inflexible plan.
What to do while you wait for progress?
We can do many things while we wait, regardless of what we are waiting for. But I think the key is doing those things that will get us closer to what we want.
Are you training for your first 10KM? Indeed, you want to run maybe 3 or 4 days per week, but you also want to:
- Do some breathing exercises.
- Pay attention to your technique and look for ways to run smoother.
- Make sure that you are having proper rest and nutrition.
- Stay hydrated –every day, not only when you run–.
- Work on your mindset.
Are you waiting for a salary increase? Maybe you can learn a new skill in the meantime.
Learn with so much enthusiasm that it becomes impossible for the Universe or your company to resist the recognition of your goodwill.
Are you waiting for your future espouse? You can work on yourself while you wait, so when this incredible person comes into your life, they will find a version of you ready to grow together.
It’s about being actively patient and passively faithful:
- Work actively on the things you can control.
- Remain passively faithful about those you can’t, and let God take care of it.
In a way, this reminds me of a verse from Isaiah 40:31:
”But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"
This is a beautiful reminder of how faith and confidence can make the wait sweeter and even surprise you with unexpected rewards.
Hi, I'm Rita
Here I write about the joy of running, a practice that has given me so much and taken so little in return.
I want to share with you how we can use running as a Spiritual practice, a daily altar to strengthen our relationship with God, ourselves, and those we love.
If interested, here you can find my running gear.