I first read Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run back in 2009. New Balance was a new client then, and I was learning about minimalist running shoes through working with them. David Deck was a young executive with NB who immediately stood out in our three day long BTL retreat kicking off NB team practice. He kept asking questions and was childlike in his curiosity. Something inside me told me we would become fast and forever friends. I was right.
C.S. Lewis was one wise dude. His reading discipline was to reread two for each new one. I’m beginning to do more rereading of old books that hit me hard the first go ‘round. This was one of those books, mostly because I’m not a runner, but I’ve enjoyed running occasionally. A few months after reading this, Littlest Fricker would hit me with hard truth about my sugar addiction and forever change my relationship with sweets.
Become more disciplined, friend, in going back, not to loathe, linger, or romantically reminisce. Go back to study, learn, and apply. Go back to get better. Here are some learnings from this trip gong backward: women crush men when it comes to ultra running. Take Leadville 100 trail run as an example. Nearly 90 percent of the women entrants finished under the 30 hour limit while less than half of the men do. The longer and more grueling the race, the better the females finish. In my study of human performance in business, sport, and life, over these past 27 years, I’ve come to discover women are not the weaker ones. Women endure childbirth, and, even more painful marriage/partnerships with weak, sorry ass men who can’t handle physical pain, much less relational/emotional suffering. We, men, need a wake up call when it comes to commitments. We are called to be a steadying influence in the storm, a rock that endures crashing, relentless waves, and remains strong. We are born to run toward trouble, not from it. We are born to model the way, embrace pain and suffering, and embody truth in love. We are not born to run away.
You are born to run. Which way you running, friend? This rant kind of took an unexpected turn, huh?
BUILT TO LEAD 