The Lafayette reservoir has long been a place I’ve gone to get in a good workout. It’s a gem of a spot – very much out in nature, but on a nice little paved trail. Perfection.
I’ve gotten to where I alternate between walking and running but I still remember my younger years when I would zip around, running almost half of it before needing to catch my breath. It’s hard not to get discouraged with those memories and I find it hard to settle into the in-between, where I just jog at a slower pace, instead of pushing myself to run like I used to and then getting worn out quickly. Part of me feels like it’s a cop-out to jog at a slower pace - I want to go from jogging to running like I used to in a single moment. Sigh.
This weekend I went to the Lafayette Reservoir to do my run/walk on the trail. On my way to it, about a quarter mile out, I drove by a man in a bright blue fleece jogging along at a gentle pace. I only noticed because of the bright blue, and then went along my merry way.
More than halfway around the trail, on one of my walking stints, I heard a slow shuffle behind me, usually signaling a runner. And low and behold, it was the man in the blue fleece! I was shocked. I had DRIVEN past him, up a steep hill at the entrance, and then had been on my own walk/jog ahead of him, and HE CAUGHT UP TO ME. I would have thought I’d had him covered by leaps and bounds with my head-start and having driven past him moving at his slow shuffle.
Clichés exist for a reason and “Slow and steady wins the race” is an oldie but goodie in its timelessness. I think of that occasionally, especially when I’m feeling frustrated that I’m not getting something done or getting results quicky enough, but this weekend I actually LIVED the reminder of that cliché. It must be in the ether because a recent blog post by Martha Beck about Turtle Training 2022 (you’ll have to read it to find out) had a similarly reinforcing point when it comes to making change.
May we all live into our turtle energies this week!
