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The First Two Miles: 4 Strategies for Surviving the Start

The First Two Miles: 4 Strategies for Surviving the Start

I have been a semi-avid runner for the last 15 years. Over the years running has become a way for me to pray, reflect, learn and listen. I do everything from prepare for an important meeting to dance to my favorite new song while I’m running. (Cue JT’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”) And most importantly, running is justification for eating more sugar than I ought. My motto is, “I run for treats.”

But for all the things I enjoy about running, I still hate the beginning.

Even after 15 years and roughly 10,000 miles logged (including several half-marathons), I still feel like I want to quit during the first two miles OF EVERY RUN!

It takes this long for my body to settle in, for my mind to settle down and for everything to start working together more fluidly. And if I don’t remind myself of this I will get frustrated and sometimes even quit. Too many times I’ve forgotten this principle and I’ve given up with excuses that, “I’m just too tired,” “something must be wrong…maybe I’m sick,” or “maybe I’m just not cut out for running anymore,”

This principle not only applies to running. It also applies to most of the challenges we face in life. For the last six months I’ve been working on the development of The 4 Sight Group. While I’m incredibly passionate about equipping leaders with the foresight for extraordinary outcomes, the beginning stages of starting a new organization are challenging. I’m in the first two miles. It’s easy to want to give up. It’s hard work. Not all the systems run smoothly. I wonder if I’m really cut out for this.