As I train to beat my last year’s time for SCMM 2015, I realise that what I had thought unachievable at one time, with adequate training now, could actually be within striking range. I love to work hard. I love to sweat, and even the occasional almost –in – tears moments. I embrace the ache of effort and the contented knowledge of having done my best. I like when my eyes are bloodshot and my creativity is spent, after hours at work. I like waking up early, running to clear my head, and coming home to hot coffee and a fresh idea for a deadline. I like the spent feeling after a hard run, or a gym workout. My muscles remind me for the rest of the day that they served me well.
But working hard can also bring negative things – like burnout, stress, anxiety, insomnia, injury, illness, depletion, and depression. I have spent many a sleepless night dreading the workout awaiting me the next day. Often, I have woken up several times at night before a long run.
So as runners and humans – how do we fulfill our (likely type A?) desire to push ourselves without running ourselves into the ground?
The answer, I believe, lies in a quote by Emmet Fox – he said that “We should work hard, but not make hard work of it.”
As I get fitter this year, my attitude has begun to change. Instead of a sense of doom, I looked forward to the tough workouts as a way to challenge me. It is difficult but I want to accomplish it. I am ready to work hard – without making hard work of it. I stepped out from under the weight of it. My perspective has changed. I have found joy. Stress is gone. The have-to’s have became want-to’s.
The effort was inherently pleasing me. My sleep remained undisturbed because I wasn’t striving, stressing, and taking things (especially myself) too seriously. I trust the training, so to speak, and believe in my innate ability to do good work. I make time for rest, for breaks, for connection with others. As we train hard- light heartedly, we crack jokes in the middle of workouts or tight deadlines at work – we ease the stress of others around us because we are happy. We focus on the journey over the destination and we savour the effort over the outcome – this helps us to be more present and engaged in our work.
Let’s carry this idea through the tail end of 2014 and begin to employ this mindset as we ease into 2015, facing our goals with more glee than grit. Let’s try easy. Let’s count our blessings and create the armour we need. We will run far, and we will run hard, with faith and confidence.

Let’s work hard and not make it hard work.S.M.I.L.E. 🙂

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