Some months ago, my Warrenville running buddies, Mike Duquette, Ed Leahy and I sat down and chose the July 12 Missoula, Montana Marathon as the 31st run in our 50-state marathon quest.
As the event approached, the weather forecast projected a high of 87 degrees on race day, and we questioned our collective sanity for signing up for a July marathon.
What were we thinking? Extreme heat is the worst enemy of even the most experienced and best-conditioned endurance runner. When temperatures rise above 70 degrees, the level of effort required rises dramatically, especially at the end of the event. Temperatures in the 80s and 90s only compound the conditions and can even be dangerous.
As is so often the case, our fears and concerns were unfounded. Race time conditions were cool and dry. The skies were slightly overcast, protecting us from the sun. The race was scenic and beautiful, and although the temperature did reach a high of 87 degrees, we finished comfortably, well prior to the heat of the day.
The point-to-point course was almost entirely flat (we had expected mountains) and followed the meandering course of the Bitterroot and Clark Fork rivers from Frenchtown to Missoula. Missoula is renowned for fly-fishing, kayaking, rafting and hunting. It served as the location for the Robert Redford film “A River Runs Through It,” and we ran the path that the river followed, through the broad glacial valley, surrounded by dozens of mountain peaks, canyons and forests.
Why is it we needlessly waste time and energy imagining how things are going to be and often anticipate the worst? Why can’t we just take things as they come and deal with unexpected changes with ease and grace?
The latest science tells us that over 90 percent of what our mind warns us might happen never occurs. It is part of our survival instinct and our fight-or-flight response. Our mind seeks to protect us by preparing us for the worst. Try as we may, no matter how many times our mind is wrong, it is nearly impossible to leave our thoughts behind and just go with the flow.
In extreme cases, some of us overly pro
tect ourselves from scenarios our mind tells us might happen. We seek to control every possible detail in an effort to prevent anything unwanted from happening. In so doing we miss life and sometimes all that is beautiful, and as a result, we limit many of life’s possibilities.
I am reminded of a story I read recently about some beautiful oak trees. The oaks were majestic and magnificent with circumferences at their base of close to 40 feet. They were huge!
The Georgia couple, in whose yard the oaks grew, loved them so much that they couldn’t bear the thought of retiring and moving out of their house, even though their children had long since left home.
They decided to stay right where they were, even remodelling the rear of the house by installing large picture windows so they could enjoy the oaks from any vantage point and every room.
One day they invited some new neighbors over for a visit. As the guests approached the rear of the house and the magnificent view of the oaks, the Georgia couple heard a gasp. Thinking their new neighbors had spotted the beautiful oak trees, they smiled. To their surprise and dismay, the woman neighbor asked for a bottle of Windex to clean some fingerprints from one of the picture windows. Thinking she was helping, she had completely missed the beautiful oaks!
How often each day do we do the same thing? We are all so busy trying to stay on top of things and control every detail in an effort to make things go our way that we miss out on a lot of what life has to offer.
My friends and I have noticed that as we approach each marathon, our minds evaluate the course and conditions, and that prepares us for the worst. Heat, humidity, hills, like fingerprints on a window, needlessly grab our attention in anticipation. But each and every time, as we travel across our great country, we are amazed at the beauty we see just beyond our false fears. In the end, things may not always be as good as they seem, but they are certainly never as bad as our minds can make them appear.
So today, do something you are afraid to do. My bet is that nine out of ten times something beautiful and unexpected will happen, and your worst fears will melt away.
