#89: A Long Walk in the Same Direction . . .
Brinton, I love the shift of perspective you create when thinking about the common pain felt at the end of a workout or exhausting run. As I've recently completely switched up my cardio routine at the gym this past week, shifting from the usual elliptical exercise to the stair master, I have definitely experienced what feels like torture each time during the last five minutes or so. But your blog makes me think more about this change I made and think back to the elliptical days where my mental and physical growth remained seemingly stagnant. I wasn't necessarily expanding my limits or feeling revitalized afterwards. My routine feels way better and more productive now that I really break a sweat AND break the restrictions I feel like I once had. Thank you Brinton for sharing your personal experiences about your long walk, and inspiring me to do the same.
- Amanda
Brinton Johns: brinton.johns@gmail.com
A Long Walk in the Same Direction . . .
Most of us walk through life driven by only one or two things. For some, it takes years to name our north star. For others, the vision is crystal clear. We might do a bunch of different jobs, but really we’re just continuing in the same direction we’ve always been headed. If you’re unclear about what drives you, just ask the few people closest to you. They usually know. That’s probably the topic for a different post.
I recently participated in a long run. Less than halfway through, I began to feel lousy. As I thought about the long miles ahead, a pang of despair registered in my body. Then I remembered a line from a training book that said something like, “On really long runs, you can crash and recover multiple times. The key is to keep drinking, keep eating and keep moving.” Once that thought came into my head, I relaxed, took a sip of water and settled into a pace.
On our journey through life, there are always times we feel unable to go on and there are always times we feel light. The crashes are not terminal and the periods of relative ease probably don’t signal enlightenment. The main thing is to take care of ourselves and keep moving.
Many of us have felt bad toward the end of a run and barely held on the last few miles. Later, when we contemplate a longer run, our narrative goes something like, “I couldn’t possibly do anything longer than 'x', I was dying on those last few miles!” But perhaps the run wasn’t long enough. Perhaps if the run had been two or three times longer, we would have pushed through the pain to recovery. Maybe our mental limits would have expanded. Maybe the pain ended too soon.
For me, the recovery finally came a few hours later and the last third of the race felt surprisingly light. As the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains and the finish line drew close, I rounded the last bend to see my family cheering in the distance. My twin boys joined me and we ran the last hundred yards together.
On our lifelong walk toward the few things that drive us, there will be crashes and recoveries, but as we look back on the journey most of us won’t remember them as vividly as they felt at the time. If we choose to continue our long walk in the same direction, we’ll just look back with gratitude at the distance covered and the people who stood beside us along the way.
What drives you on your long walk in the same direction?
Brinton's first-person bio:
After 17 years at Janus Capital, I'm taking a sabbatical. While at Janus, I served as an analyst, portfolio manager and team leader to an incredibly talented group of technology analysts. My biggest joy is to grow. My second biggest joy is to watch others grow and play some small part in that growth.