Thoughts on the Run

People tell me that I must be a multi-tasking genius. Wife, 4 kids, day job, consulting, and ultrarunning. There was a time I would agree to the label, but for the past 6 months, my goal has been to do less multi-tasking.

I know, it sounds counter-productive for my life, but hear me out.

I used to be that parent at the kids’ activities with their nose stuck in the phone or laptop open. The kids were doing their thing at karate and I was doing mine. What I started to discover was that I was missing life. I was missing the small victories in my kids’ life. Whether it be them mastering a new kicking combination or handing their jacket to a friend that was cold. I was missing the little things. Eventually, if you miss enough little things, they become big things. And kids are the first to notice.

A few days ago I was chatting with a coworker. I knew that he had done triathlons and biked across the country. I was also aware that he has his second baby due at the end of July. For the past month he had been asking me questions about the Leadville 100. Most of the questions were normal:

– What do you eat?
– Can I see the elevation map?
– What’s your training like?

I took it as another curious individual.

Then he revealed to me that he is registered for the Leadville 100 Mile Trail Run as well! That explains the question about wanting to see the elevation map. Now I have someone within close proximity to chat about training. He’s also doing Silver Rush 50 in Leadville which I’ll be doing for the 4th year in a row.

The point is: spend a week focusing on just one thing at a time. You just might be surprised what’s happening right in front of you.