Running with a Juggler
Strange tales of running that are too true…
When I took up running it was a way to exercise to stay in shape, and I needed that after each of my three babies. My husband, ever the competitor, thought entering races would be fun and motivational.
He was training for a 5 miler always held toward the end of September, and so many people ran that race that we had to arrange oursleves in “waves”. Since D. (my husband) was so much faster than I, he ran many waves ahead of me.
I lined up with the 8 minute mile people and waited. I always tied and retied my shoes while waiting, to make sure they weren’t too tight or too lose. Finally we assembled ourselves, all the 8 minute people and the gun went off!
I had only run 5Ks, so I paced myself really well, using my breathing as an indicator of my speed. Crowds lined most the race, with bands playing and the atmosphere was jovial. So jovial that I finally looked around at the people who were keeping pace with me.
One was a man who juggled five balls while running 8 minute miles. I thought he’d stop, but the guy kept running and those balls just kept being tossed around. I wanted to lose the juggler. Honestly, I wanted to finish way ahead of a guy who could run at a slow yet decent pace while juggling.
I consciously sped up. So did the juggler. I decided to push it even more, and my breathing was off, but I needed to lose this man! He somehow kept pace with me, so I resigned myself to come into the running chutes with a juggler on my heels. I remember sprinting at the end, just to get a faster time, so I did come in ahead of the juggler, who never dropped a ball.
Then again, once I finished my husband found me, and I felt so gloriously happy that I had finally run this iconic run that I didn’t even bother to look for the juggler. The importance of that man dissipated the moment I ran through the chute and was done.
Lesson? Don’t worry about the people around you making it look easy. What matters is your path and the pace you decide to use. Don’t think too much about someone else who has it better, or is more talented than you. Your life is at your pace: fast as can be or slow and meandering. You choose. And enjoy the “race” while you’re on it. You may never pass that way again, so soak it in and be present in the moment.
