Week 15
Weekly Mileage: 36.2
Long Run: 26.2- The Marathon is here!
So, it hasn’t rained at all this fall. Having one of the driest and warmest falls on record, we have had no weather related blips in our marathon training.
And as I write this on the Tuesday before we are scheduled to leave, here’s what the forecast looks like for Philly on race day:
Umm yeah, rain, cold rain, with 20-30 mph winds. Looks like the first winter storm of the season has plans to blow through right as we run. Great.
I can’t seem to quit checking the weather every half-hour, thinking that I can will the storm to come through on Monday instead of Sunday.
But then of course, my husband, who by the way is usually the pessimist, or as he calls it the “realist” of our pair, sends our group a text saying we need to “eliminate the clutter and external factors”. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right.
I preach the circle of concern versus the circle of influence, a Stephen Covey concept, in just about every training I do. Focus on what you can control is what it prophesizes. Basically, the concept is the central point of Covey’s first habit, be proactive, and is best summarized from his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can’t keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are “response-able.” They don’t blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power–you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A proactive person uses proactive language–I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language–I can’t, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do–they have no choice.
Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas–Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence.
Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern–things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies is a giant step in becoming proactive.
So I’m working to curb my impulse to check the weather every few minutes. Just like I work with clients to try to help them focus on how they can lead better by focusing not on the market, or the behaviors of their problem employee, or the fact that their candidate did or did not when the presidency, I’m trying to focus on what I can control that could lead to better marathon performance – making sure I eat, hydrate and sleep right. That’s what I can control now.
And if it rains it rains. And sometimes it pours, but focusing on our own behaviors leads to better results and more influence as a leader.
What things are outside of your control that you need to eliminate from you focus? What can you influence today to make tomorrow better?
Like this post? Read other posts from this series:
Leaders, Set Manageable Goals to Lead and Run Well
Leaders and Runners, Don’t Run the Race Alone
Leader, Do You Need to Hold Back?
