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Runners World Articles: Archives Growing through a Phase Our running life isn't static, a single note played over and over. It is growth and movement, an evolution from our "birth" as runners to the fullest development of our potential; a melody full of lulls and surges, silences and crescendos. After those first labored steps, every runner goes through stages, enduring a few "growing pains" along the way. But if you're open to each of these phases, you can continue to benefit from the positive elements of each one as you move on to more rewarding running experiences. The Beginner. Perched on the edge of a new, vigorous life, the beginning runner is primarily a sedentary person. He or she is impatient with the slow process of weight loss and the almost imperceptible increase of running pace. The novice wants results, now! Filled with exuberance, beginners often push too hare, get injured or tired, and quit, only to restart a dozen times. Beginners thrive on joining running groups. Though they sometimes struggle to "just get out there," novices eventually learn to enjoy the relaxed feeling running brings. When they start to sense a clearer, more focused mental state on their running days, they're on the verge on entering the next phase. The Jogger. Though the jogger may sometimes lack the motivation to start a run, he feels secure with the habit of running. While most beginners need a specific benefit from each run, the jogger finds satisfaction in the act itself and seldom describes runs as "boring." Joggers have begun to feel like part of the running community and may enjoy identification with a particular running event. They rarely have a training plan and usually abandon special schedules because of the conflicts of work and home life. As joggers enter the next phase, some become competitive and train hard for faster times or challenging events. Others bypass competitive urges and discover the transcendental quality of the "Runner" phase. The Competitor/The Athlete. There's a competitive streak, often hidden, in all of us. Controlled and directed, it can motivate us, stimulating strengths that would otherwise stay submerged. The negative compulsion of the competitor is an obsessive pursuit of personal records or age-group awards. If the competitor can break free from this preoccupation with ego boosts, he'll strive to bring out his best on any given day. This marks entry into the world of the athlete, who pushes through tiredness and discomfort, developing the capacity to deal with adversities in races and in other areas of life. As a competitor, you learn how to choose events and develop racing techniques. Once you mature into an athlete, however, you appreciate your ability to rise to the challenge and use current personal resources to maximize potential on that day. Competitors know exactly where they rank in the pecking order-and yearn for the next level. The athlete finds success in every running experience. The Runner. It is possible to have it all. This phase balances the elements of fitness, commitment, competition and mental invigoration with the demands of career and family. Runners have a life apart from running, yet appreciate how running enhances each area of their lives. Intuitively, the runner combines strength, speed, form and endurance with motivation and willpower. The running experience itself confers so much satisfaction that each run becomes a natural expression of who the runner is and what he stand for. The runner appreciates the chemistry of a group but loves the transcendental quality of a solitary run. As a runner, you can relive the enjoyment of each stage-the beginner's excitement and the jogger's glow of fitness; moments of the competitor's ambition, balanced by the athlete's quest for personal excellence. And for the runner, it's possible, on parts of every run, to transcend the physical experience, letting your mind soar into creative and intuitive visions.
From Runner's World, April 1998, p. 36
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