Everyone is Supporting You - Whether or Not You Notice It
As I said before, people tell me they hate my hobby. And yet, I feel the support constantly because it’s everywhere.
It’s effortless to be grateful for the people who outwardly support you.
I’m so thankful to my wife for covering parenting duty, leaving me at the Hollywood Farmers Market across town, and letting me do my running.
And I’m grateful for my friends who say, “You got this,” when I tell them I’m running.
I’m grateful for my friends who, after my humblebrags of going on an 18 miler, say, “Wow, that’s a lot of running,” instead of roasting me as they rightly should.
I’m grateful for the support of people who don’t even know me.
I’m grateful for my virtual coach who doesn’t know I exist.
I’m greateful for the people who hand out water at events.
I’m grateful for those watching and cheering.
I’m grateful for the city of San Francisco and every single person working to make room for me to enjoy the beautiful city on a Sunday morning.
But I’m also grateful for the less obvious support. I’m thankful for the people I’m ostensibly running against in races. Competitors give me pacing information. They’re giving me guidance on what’s going on with the road ahead. They give me the motivation to give it a kick and pass them. And when they pass me, they drive me to dig deep and keep pushing.
I’m grateful for the detractors. Nothing has ever motivated me personally like someone who didn’t believe in me. And though I’d rather have their overt support, a hero is nothing without an antagonist. And that support, dressed up like resistance, is just as good.
And I’m grateful for the obstacles that aren’t even sentient. The sun blaring down on hot days teaches me that I need to keep planning ahead and running early. I’m grateful for my knee giving out, challenging me not to be too reliant on one part of my body and keeping me going further.
It’s so easy only to see the obstacles in what you’re doing. But, I swear, I swear, everything is support.
I’ll tell you, every time I run a marathon, I get emotional and sappy. It’s such a beautiful thing to do long runs. It’s impossible to see not only what you’ve overcome, but what’s helped you along the way. It’s emotional to feel like, legitimately, everyone is conspiring to help you.
So, yeah, enjoy the support. Everyone’s on your side, making you the hero of your story. Go forth.
Part of a four-part series on running as life.