Ready? Set? Just Go Already!
You don't need a new year to start for you to do the same.
So, how are those resolutions coming? January 1… they begin. Flip that calendar and it’s time to start! What? Already with the questions! What can you possibly want three sentences in? Yes, I had a real calendar. Is that weird? How old are you? Geez. Okay, fine. I can see how you would think it’s weird. But I can assure you that physical calendars… you know… the paper ones… were awesome. My mom was able to write everything our family had going on on a calendar that lived on our refrigerator. She could write so small! For a few years I thought there was a better than zero chance that she doubled as a Cold War spy because of how she was able to write so small and clearly. Sometimes when we would be watching a movie with some CIA or MI6 characters I’d cast a side eye at her to see if she was responding differently than the rest of us. I’d ask her questions like “what would you do if the codes to the nuclear arsenal were all stolen” or “I wonder if someone in East Germany has a different accent than someone from West Germany. What do you think, Mom?” She’d look at me like I was crazy and tell me that I was a strange kid. Exactly what a spy would say.
Anyway, nice try getting me off track. Not today! No, today we are not delaying this talk about delaying. I’m going to get you to see that you don’t need to wait a few weeks to start crossing starting lines. You don’t need a new year to start to begin doing kick ass, badass, big ass and even little ass things that make you feel better. You can start now. Preferably after you read this newsletter or at the very least scroll to the bottom, rate it, leave a cool comment, click the link to the merch store and buy a few items for both you and all the people you care about, and then write posts (they can be short ones don’t worry) on all your social media channels and text groups regaling this article and recommending that everyone subscribe to Coach Bennett’s Newsletter.
Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, I set a New Years Resolution to run more. I was hardly running at all at the rime. There’s always a little confusion here when I say something like that. Some people can’t believe that I would ever lack the motivation or discipline to go for a run. I’m a coach for crying our loud! I spend most of my waking hours working to get more people crossing more starting lines and have more runs that are more better. (That’s definitely not grammatically correct. I majored in History not English. Besides, do you see an editor around here? Nope. Neither do I. I write and record all this nonsense by myself.) But guess what? I’m not just a coach. I’m an athlete too. And I struggle. I struggle a lot with lots of different things. Just like everyone else. Sometimes I struggle to get to and over a starting line. And I was struggling a few years ago to do just that.
So, in early December I sat down and wrote down a whole bunch of resolutions. Number one on that list was run and run consistently. I put it number one because I knew that running consistently for me was like the gateway action for all sorts of other positive actions in my life. When I run I feel better about myself. I feel more confident. I feel more successful. I’m proud of myself. I have more energy. I know that when I run and run consistently I also start to do things that will set me up to stay consistent and help me have even better runs. I tend to stay better hydrated. I try to get better sleep. I act like a better teammate to myself. I also know that I’m a better teammate to others! So, now you know why running and running consistently was top of the charts for me. I imagine that you too make running a priority for many if not all of those very same reasons.
I felt good about my list of resolutions. I felt especially good about my commitment to running. Reading it over once the list was completed I remember thinking to myself “O Captain! My Captain! You’re going to feel so good once you start… in a month.” Now, you may be wondering, do I really refer to myself with O Captain! My Captain! and isn’t that extraordinarily pompous considering Walt Whitman was referring to Lincoln when he wrote those words. Look, you’re focusing on the wrong thing here. What you really need to focus on is that I was willing to delay my own personal betterment for weeks! I was prepared to delay feeling better! I was basically making a This Year resolution to feel worse than I needed to by resolving in early December to not start running until the beginning of January because I wanted to make a great Next Year’s resolution! What kind of nonsensical poppycock is this?
The worst kind of nonsensical poppycock is the answer.
So, what to do? I’m gonna tell ya right now. And yes, I know I could have told you earlier but I obviously needed to work out a few things through this newsletter. You could at least afford me some grace here. You’re going to get some great ways to stop being stopped and start starting and I’m going to feel like I just got an emotionally massage by writing all this down. It’s win-win.
You’re Not Early… You’re Right On Time
I know that January 1st seems like the perfect day to start, start over, or start again. But I can assure you that right now, assuming you are healthy, is the right time to cross that starting line. And that’s not because there is no perfect time to start. (There isn’t though. There is just when you can and when you can’t.) It’s simply because doing something good for you shouldn’t be delayed. There will hopefully be more time in the future to use some of your time doing more of the things that are good for you. But here… and now… it’s here and now! Just imagine if your resolution wasn’t about running. Let’s say it was about reading. Would you seriously not read for the next few weeks because… well, I don’t know what the because would actually be here. Is it seriously the calendar calling the shots for you? What about a resolution to deal with stress better or be more grateful or talk to your loved ones more that live far away from you? Would you choose to wait until 2025 to deal with stress better or be more grateful or call your grandma? Good gracious, I hope not. So, how about now? Remember, later is just a future now anyway. Makes sense… at least to me.
If You Try Your Best… You Are Your Best
I can hear the excuses already. But you’ll have more free time… or is it motivation… or is it the weather that will be better or maybe it’s just weird in your mind for you to start anything in the middle of the month or on a Tuesday. I get it. Tuesdays suck! But let me be very clear here and more importantly try to be succinct… which is very difficult for me. You are always good enough to get better! And if you are trying your best then you are at your best. Doesn’t matter if the run is only five minutes long. Especially when you only have five minutes to run! If that’s all you can do then you are doing 100% of what is possible. Would you dismiss your effort to do all that you can do? I sure hope not! Because that would be a rancid thing to do. And if you are trying your best to run those five minutes as intelligently as possible while being the best possible teammate to yourself… well, that’s some legitimate badassery by you. Would you dismiss someone you care about when they do all they can do in the hopes of betterment? Again, I sure hope not because that’s some straight icky behavior. You need to acknowledge when you try your best and you need to celebrate when you try your best and you need to be proud of yourself when you do all that you can do.
Feel Your Way To Where You Want To Be
You have a resolution? Great. Tell me how you want to feel? I’ll listen to all the metrics later. 42.2K or 1000 miles or sub 8 pace. We’ll get to it. But right now I want to know how doing those things will make you feel. More importantly I want to know how doing what you need to do to potentially accomplish those metrics will make you feel? Confident? Strong? Excited? Accomplished? Proud? Invigorated? Joyful? Excellent! All great feelings! Guess what? You don’t need 42.2K of running to feel joyful. 4.2K can accomplish that. You don’t need to run 1000 miles in a year to feel accomplished. Running today for 1000 seconds is an accomplishment. Especially when it’s the middle of December and you’re busy and you didn’t have time for 1001 seconds. Ask yourself how you want your resolutions to make you feel. And then resolve to do something today that makes you feel that way. Why wait to be excited or invigorated or strong? Be those things now by doing the things now that make you feel that way.
If You’re Running… You’re Running
Period. And if you’re running… you’re a runner. There isn’t anything in the dictionary about how long or how far or how fast a run needs to be to be a run. And there definitely isn’t anything in the dictionary about when you can or cannot cross a starting line. Yeah. That’s it. Now that there was succinct. You see? I can do it!
Alright, after reading that tome above it may in fact be too late to actually start anything but your bedtime routine today. Whatever. I write a lot. Hopefully that leads to you reading a lot. And maybe… just maybe… it led to you resolving to start doing something good for you today instead waiting until tomorrow or weeks from now.
I know it’s a change.
But you don’t need a calendar year to change to make great change happen.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
MERCH STORE FINALLY OPENS!!!
The doors are open! And since the store is entirely online the doors are always open! That’s right. The next time you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom you can bring your phone with you and do a little shopping. So, check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store by tapping this sentence. And if you have a special runner in your life I think we’ve got a number of things that they are going to love. I hope you know that you should think of yourself as one of the special runners in your life. I know… I know… stay on course, Coach. But, it’s true. And I needed to say it. Anyway, enjoy the store and you should know that there is FREE SHIPPING on all orders in the domestic US. We are working to get the store available internationally. I’ll be sure to update you all with… well… updates.
NIKE CROSS NATIONALS (NXN) WAS AMAZING!
My favorite race of the year did not disappoint. The girls individual race was an all time best performance. The boys individual race had one of the biggest surprise wins ever at Nike Cross Nationals. The girls team champions capped off a complete season of excellence. The boys team champions were initially overlooked but never overwhelmed. The conditions were gnarly. The fans were extraordinary. And I was inspired by the future of our sport. In fact, I don’t think these kids are waiting for the future. Their time is now. Yes, there’s a lesson here for all of us. Because our time is now too.
The coverage was once again fantastic. Kudos to Runnerspace for covering this event so well year in and year out. I hope everyone watches the races below. Be a fan of the sport and you will become better at this sport. That’s a fact.
Watch the NXN Girls Championship Race here.
Watch the Boys NXN Championship Race here.
NEW COACH BENNETT’S PODCASTS
Don’t worry. Coach Bennett’s Podcast is not going on vacation for the holidays. So, enjoy the latest episode and make sure you are subscribing to the podcast on your platform of choice so you can get the shows updated for you automatically.
Cheers and as always thank you for reading. Whenever I sit down to write this newsletter my hope is that I can offer something that helps you on your next run or walk or exam you have to take or presentation you need to give or tough conversation you need to have. This sport and this community has helped me more than I could ever help in return. But I’m going to try. Anyway. I hope the time you spend reading the newsletter is time well spent.
Cheers to you and to everyone that’s a paid supporter of this newsletter or thinking about becoming a paid supporter. I truly appreciate it.
Take care of yourself and take care of each other.
Until that next starting line…
Coach Bennett
Here’s to everyone getting ready to cross a new starting here in December! And thank you all for reading the latest issue of Coach Bennett’s Newsletter!
Thanks Coach. I needed these words this morning. I got sick the Monday before Thanksgiving and ended my RunStreak of 333 days. My goal was to run everyday in 2024 and I failed. I haven’t ran since that Monday and I have been thinking about the right time to start up again. I’ve been putting it off due to so many excuses. I have spring marathons and I know I need to get going but I love sticking to a routine and following a schedule as closely as I can. I think today I will go for a run that’s not on my schedule. Thanks Coach. Long time listener, love your content! @runnermatt3