Running Life Resiliently

By Ben Heller

I originally wrote this article before the Covid-19 pandemic started. Little did I realize that this article would acquire extra meaning as America and the world deals with the virus. I hope that these words can provide you with a little bit of encouragement during these trying times. Don’t worry, I struggle just as much to keep myself together, but if there was ever a good test of resiliency, these next few months certainly fit the frame.

For myself, 2020 is all about emotional and personal growth. That is quite a daunting topic for someone who has 30 years of unhealthy emotional practice ingrained in their being. It can sometimes look like trying to scale up a mountain with no visible peak. I can say with clarity that my unhealthy behaviors and emotional outlooks have hurt some people in my life and subjected my friends in the running community to some precarious situations. I try to live life in the lead pack and not as a straggler. Emotionally, I’ve been a straggler and still find myself in that part of the pack in the race of life.

Even recently, I have emotionally dealt with setbacks akin to rolling an ankle in a 5K. It pains me to write that, but to be accountable to myself and this world, I must confess this with a clear mind. I have stumbled processing some complex issues during my time.

You’re reading this saying to yourself, ‘Ben, you have problems but how is this relevant to running and what can I learn from reading about your darn problems?’ This is relevant to running because to enact the changes I am trying to make within myself, I am calling on behaviors, traits and aspects of a successful running practice to guide me.

Using Resiliency as a Building Block – If we look at running and life like baking a fresh loaf of bread, then resiliency is the gluten. It is that substance that binds the molecules together to generate that consistency. Resiliency binds the mind, body and soul in a way, so that when we face challenging circumstances, our lives can go on… It may take days, weeks, months and sometimes even years. Whatever the time frame, a resilient being will always get back up when knocked down.

Have you ever had a bad race, like I mean a really bad race? A race so bad that you don’t even want to look at yourself in the mirror for a few days because of the disappointment you feel. We may have been in those shoes to a certain extent. I can name several races in my own past that fit this framework. The feelings are still fresh in mind, as I watched my competition gallop away from me, I chase them ever so distantly in vain. Maybe I am alone, but I have had races that discouraged me so much that I’ve questioned whether I should do it again. Well as long as I am blessed to remain healthy, I will keep lacing my racers up and showing up to the start line.

If you’re reading this article it’s likely that you didn’t just hang your shoes up and quit running because you had a bad race. No, you called on something to get you back out the door, to line up on another starting line, despite the fear that a repeat of the disaster race could happen. All of us as runners take that risk when we lace up the racers and show up to a race.

You wouldn’t have the ability to take that step without calling on your own resiliency. Maybe you never realized it, but for you to take that step, you called on that trait to keep going. Do you see how this can come back 360 degrees?

Life’s problems are in many ways no different than that bad race. You take some time to reflect on what happened. What were the circumstances that led to what you perceived to be an under performance? Were there factors you could control, factors that you couldn’t control? You analyze the results and chart a new path forward. There are no promises that you won’t face another disappointment, but you don’t let that fear stop you. This resiliency, this boldness is a trait we all have.

The inertia of our lives can sometimes be totally overwhelming. Just like a bad race, life can throw us circumstances that knock us down. Maybe these circumstances will generate those same bad race emotions and reactions. But if you can lace up the shoes after a bad race, then you can bounce back from anything that happens in life. We all get a chance to practice resiliency every day that we’re fortunate enough to breathe.

So, take these words with hope and optimism. When life is dark and gloomy, remember that in running there are lessons that we can carry with us. If you can remember the resiliency of running, then you can navigate through any fog you encounter in this world.

In our lives, we will all face risks, we all will face dealing with failure, we all will deal with pain and trauma to a certain extent. I am thankful that I can always look towards running as both a guide and an inspiration. If resiliency is the gluten, then running is the yeast. It raises the best traits in all of us.

Ben Heller (benjaminrheller@gmail.com) is a local road racing enthusiast who lives in Troy. He enjoys racing distances from 5Ks to marathons. He is a member of the Albany Running Exchange racing team.