Yesterday was “hill day.” That’s my 6-6.5 mile early morning run which includes a mile or so of various quad-challenging inclines. Hill day, along with my weekly track session and long weekend run, form the backbone of what I hope will be a run-up to another marathon in December.<\/p>\n
Usually, I’m pretty winded by the time I reach the top of the hills and have been in the habit of walking a few meters in recovery. But yesterday, as I topped each peak, there was no need to stop and catch my breath. Like Forrest Gump, I just kept right on running.<\/p>\n
It was rewarding and encouraging to experience this small improvement in performance. It also occurred to me that at times we’re oblivious to tiny increments like that, focused as we often are on “the big picture.” But big gains are birthed in such small steps; day-by-day, inch-by-inch, yard-by-yard, mile-by-mile.<\/p>\n
Of course, running is merely an analogy, a shadow of larger, more important things. There are many who are climbing steeper and more challenging hills than the 15% grade at the top of Forrest Heights Drive. But the principles are the same: sustained daily effort, small steps leading to larger ones, shoulders back and eyes up–lift those knees high.<\/p>\n
And just when you least expect it, you find yourself cresting that difficult hill and running on toward daylight.<\/p>\n
This is what I tell myself these days: It’s the increments, stupid.<\/p>\n
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