Lessons from the Long Run

Lessons From the Long Run
By Alexis Mercer

I started running as a sport when I was in 7th grade. It was my first experience with organized sport in school since prior to that point I had participated in dance. My love for running was fueled quickly with the success of our team and that I personally encountered. We won a lot of meets. In fact our 4x200 team was undefeated that year. 

While it might seem like a small thing being undefeated in a 4x200 relay team for a small school in Northern Michigan, it really wasn’t. Those experiences set me up for a lifetime of seeking success through hard work and determination. 

Back then I was a sprinter and high jumper. The longest distance I ran was 400 meters (still my favorite distance in track thanks to the fact that it is the race that takes the most guts). My freshman year in high school I joined the cross country team in the fall. That was more of a “I think I’ll try it to get in shape for volleyball” type situation. 

I had no idea that joining that team would be a complete life changer.

Twenty five years later distance running is a major part of my life. Though not always at the forefront of my activities (I played college volleyball, during which time I had 0.000 interest in running farther than 3 miles at a time), it has always been there.

I coach cross country and middle school track and occasionally friends who want to either get into running in the first place or get back into running after years off. I am a runner myself as an adult. I have participated in races at distances including 5k, 10k, 10 miles,15k, 25k, and marathons. And I’m now looking at perhaps one day doing an ultramarathon (anywhere from 50k to 100 miles) because my perspective has changed about the barriers I set for myself with distances.

Running is about the only thing that hasn’t changed in my world since Covid-19 stay-at-home hit. Granted, the marathon I signed up for in June was cancelled, and all other races between now and then have been cancelled. But the fact that I can lace up my shoes and go outside for a run is still a constant (by myself, practicing social distancing, because I am a responsible member of society who believes scientists that this is the only way to help this situation).

My days have been filled with unknowns, uncertainties, confusion, and chaos like the rest of you. And then I go for a run and the world makes a little more sense.

So I laced up my Mizunos and walked out the door on Sunday ready for a long, long run. I was feeling particularly unsettled when I began. By the end I was feeling completely restored and also had a list of ways that distance running and life in the Stay Home Stay Safe Covid-19 times are the same.

1. Some days are going to be hard from the get-go. Ease into those days and be kind to yourself. Do what you can and be grateful that you are out there.
   
2. The hill has a top. Remember there is an end to the pain. 
   
3. On the way down the other side of the hill, let gravity do the work. Trying to stop yourself from going faster down a hill only makes life harder. Go with nature, especially when it is there to help you.
   
4. It is ok to be alone with your mind for an extended period of time. Get comfortable with your thoughts. Let your mind wander where it wants to go. You’ll find the time brings creativity and self-love.
   
5. Take the time to look around you. Breathe in the fresh air. Check out the world that you might otherwise let pass you by without noticing.
   
6. Always take the road less traveled. Especially now. That road never disappoints.
   
7. Don’t be afraid to find a new route. Bored with the same routine? Find a new one. You can always come back to what you know. Maybe you’ll find what you were doing wasn’t so bad afterall. Or maybe you’ll fall in love with a new route. You’ll never know unless you try.
   
8. Smile. It is scientifically proven that when you are running (or doing something that is mentally and physically demanding) if you smile, even if you don’t mean it, the work will seem less demanding. The more you mean it, the better it is. When I was running it was 38 degrees, cloudy, windy and rainy. In the last mile it started to downpour. I lifted up my head to the rain and sky and laughed. A genuine laugh. The poor conditions had nothing on my positive mindset brought on by a smile.
   
9. Know when to call a run early. There is a difference between small aches and pains that come during a long run and injuries. Running won’t always be comfortable all the time. But injuries? Sharp pain that isn’t going away? Call it a day so you can get back out tomorrow.
   
10. At the end of every run, whether you hit your intended pace or not, whether you felt like it was successful or not, give yourself credit for getting out there. 
    
11. Fuel yourself properly after every run. Rest. Restore. Your body does not have endless amounts of energy without proper refueling. Give your body what it needs so that you can continue to run for a long time in the future.
    

Maybe your long run is from your front door to the first electric pole. Everyone starts somewhere. It’s my belief that these lessons will be learned regardless of how far your distance run is as long as you keep putting on foot in front of the other and trying again the next day. 

Life has its twists, turns, surprises, ups, downs, highs, lows and extremes. Running does, too. But running helps to make sense of all of those extremes of life. Now, more than ever, it is comforting to have a healthy activity to help keep perspective.