Take The Ice
It was getting hot. The sun was no longer flirting. Now, it was on. That ball of fire was done fooling around. It wanted me to know that it was interested in me. Seriously interested. And I could feel its relentless stare. Weird? Well, I had been on the side of the road in Miami for five hours at this point. Your mind tends to wander anyway. But when you’re tired, thirsty, sleep deprived and wayworn your mind starts to get weird. And my mind was starting to look at the sun less as a distant star and more as a one very passionate suitor. (By the way, wayworn is a word that never gets used anymore and it’s a great word. Just means that you’re tired from travel. And I was seriously wayworn. Challenge: weave that word into a conversation today. I digress.)
I was in Miami back in January to cheer on all the athletes taking part in the marathon and half marathon. The people I was with had set up a cheer station at roughly 11 miles into both the marathon and half marathon. Like I said, it was getting hot and high temperatures make it more difficult to run. And when there are high temps AND high humidity it makes everything harder including cheering. So, there we were on the side of the road. Cheering on all the badass athletes coming by. We offered waters and cold cloths to anyone and everyone that raced, ran, shuffled, or walked by us. We even started to offer handfuls of ice from our coolers for athletes to put in their hats or jog bras.
I noticed something over the course of the hours I spent there cheering and watching all those badass athletes stream by. And what I noticed wasn’t a surprise. It happens consistently. Doesn’t matter if it’s a race in Miami or a first run in Berlin or a solo speed run in Sao Paulo. People don’t believe they’ve done anything that merits being cheered for. People don’t believe they deserve to be praised… deserve to be celebrated… people don’t believe they deserve to be supported or helped. So many people on the streets of Miami didn’t believe that what they are doing was worthy of some water or ice on that hot and humid day.
I see it every day. I see it everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong. There are people that can be found anywhere in the race that truly know how epic what they are doing is and soak up the cheers they are getting from those of us that line the roads. They hear smile and wave and dart over towards the curb and give us high fives. They see the water bottle extended out onto their path and they grab it because they understand that what they are doing is extraordinary and this water from a stranger is testament to the great effort they are giving. They know we are there watching and cheering our loudest because they are out there running and trying their best.
But so many runners don’t believe what they do is extraordinary even though there are more of us watching than running. Even though so many other people have come out like we did just to come out and clap and roar for strangers. Even though they most likely started their own running journey believing that what they are currently doing was something too extraordinary for them to ever do! Yet, here they are. Running a half to full marathon in Miami and still they believe they are ordinary.
Looks like I need to bring out my trust assistant coach… the dictionary… for this part.
Sorry. Not Sorry.
extraordinary: adjective
beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established
Running isn’t (even if I wished it was) an ordinary activity for adults to do. Sadly, it’s becoming less ordinary for kids to have a steady diet of running around in their lives too. And running consistently or in a race or for long distances or long durations is even more unusual. Just look around. There are far more people not running than there are running. It only seems usual to the people that regularly run or hang out with runners. If you run you are anything but ordinary! Read the definition again! You are… extraordinary. Accept the truth into your life. Embrace it.
I really do believe that if everyone just carried around a dictionary they’d be happier… or at least less derogatory, disparaging, diminishing, demeaning, disrespectful or deprecatory towards themselves. You know… now that I think about it… let’s make sure it’s one of those dictionary and thesaurus combos that we’re all carrying around.
Back to the point that I was making a few paragraphs above here. Take the ice! You deserve it! You deserve the cheers! You deserved the praise! Even though I may be handing you the ice you need to know that this is not a handout. It isn’t charity. You earned the applause. You earned the water. You earned the ice! Why don’t you want to get paid for your work? The only reason I can come up with is that you don’t value your own work. Which is odd because I bet you do’t believe the runner next to you is unworthy of praise or a cold and wet rag. I bet you see other people out there running and respect them. I bet you see somebody on a starting line (maybe even next to you) and think to yourself “now there is a real runner”. Well, you are right about that at least. They are a real runner. And they see a real runner when they see you.
So how about this… no more belittling. It’s not a sign of humility to belittle yourself or someone else. It’s just humiliating. And no one ever needs to feel humiliated when they are trying to do something positive as best as they can. You read me? I know you do. And you can prove to me that you read me the next time I cheer for you. Give a smile or a thumbs up or even just a little mental tip of the cap to yourself because you know you deserve it. Swing over to the curb and give out that high five to the fans lining the street you’re racing down. Come and get that water you need from us. Maybe you’ll inspire someone to do the same. I don’t know about you but more people in this world being less thirsty and more secure in who they really are sounds like a better world to me.
And if you ever find yourself out there running and and you’re hot and sweaty and working hard with every stride and somebody reaches out to you with some ice in the palm of their hand… take the ice.
COACH BENNETT’S PODCAST
Excited to share the latest episodes of Coach Bennett’s Podcast. The first one is a return of the Mindset Matters series. So you know what that means… that’s right! The one and only coach tammie bennett of the show up society (all lower case per her demands) is back! This is the third Mindset Matters episode and deals with Goals. It’s a fantastic show. Be sure to listen to it.
The other episode is called Behind The Line and I’m hoping it’s going to become a reoccurring show. In it I break down one of the more popular lines I’ve said or written. I get requests sometimes to explain where the line came from. When did I start saying it? What inspired it? Well, Behind The Line will answer those questions and so many more.
The first attempt at a Behind The Line takes on “If you can’t do the run you want to do… do the run you can do.” Give the show a listen!
JUST A LITTLE CHALLENGE FOR YOU
Tap the video to listen to the challenge.
It’s not a big challenge… but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy one to do.
COVERS SONGS SO GOOD THEY SHOULD BE COVERED
I updated Coach Bennett’s Mixtape playlist. And it’s a fun one. I put together some of my favorite cover songs. This is not an exhaustive list. And there are some covers that I love that are missing. But this should get you through a run or walk or traffic or some studying. I especially love covers because I find it fascinating to hear other artists take on a song and make it their own. Anyway, enjoy.
Here we are… at the end… the end of this issue of the newsletter that is. Geez! Don’t be so ominous. This isn’t the end end. In fact, it’s really just another starting line. You now get to take on whatever is left with the rest of your day armed with (hopefully) what you’ve learned from this newsletter. But before you head out to do great things let me just say I’m so thankful for you sharing the messages and posts and videos with friends and family and teammates. I’m grateful for you supporting the work. And cheers to everyone that has chosen to be paid supporter. It means a great deal to me. Until next time… take care of yourself. Take care of each other. And I’ll meet you on the next starting line.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
I always appreciate your perspective coach! During my first half in January of this year I was in awe of so many that came out to cheer! At the end I even stopped and asked one of the police officers who was blocking a street to take a photo with me … I thanked her for keeping us safe, for smiling and encouraging us, and for everything she does …. Pure gratitude. But I will take that water next time because as you said it’s not charity … or a handout … or a sign of weakness…. Maybe I will look at it as a moment of appreciation because I truly and wholeheartedly appreciate everyone who was there!
YOU! yes YOU Coach are fabulous, wonderful, spectacular! Your message today and pretty much every time I stop to read is right on! Thank you! I'm a runner...a few times a year, when I'm not riding my road-bike, hiking, x-country skiing and today's message reminds me of my feelings each time I run (with you Coach) in my ears. I am learning, thanks to you, that I am a runner and a cyclist and a hiker and a skier and most importantly deserving as all my fellow athletes of kudos, encouragement and positivity! high-five! hugs! :)