Are you having fun? Really? Are you really having fun? This year’s been an interesting year of racing for me. My racing schedule looked a little like someone took a potato gun and shot it at the wall. There were 5k’s, 50milers up mountains, a road marathon and a 100miler through a parking lot. I learned a lot about racing over the course of the last several months, but I also learned a pretty big lesson within the last week. I decided to ask myself the daunting question, “Mary, are you having fun?”
It’s a question I ask my athletes all the time. I even program workouts just to help them remember why they fell in love with the sport from the very start. Now I know every part of training isn’t always the best time of your life, but there should be some level of enjoyment that comes from lacing up and taking part. But we’re human and sometimes we fall into the trap of doing things because we think we should. Whether it’s signing up for a certain race or racing at all, when all we really want to do is just run.
So yes – I asked myself what really makes me happy…and what events I’d consider truly fun. I won’t bore you with the findings, but I say all these things to remind us what having a passion is all about. It’s hard work. It’s tedious and time consuming, but it’s also something beautiful and worth pouring your heart and soul into when it’s all said and done. So today I charge you with this one task – figure out the things you love and that make you happy and don’t waste time on the things you don’t. Don’t do things you think you’re supposed to do. Find what you love and do the hell out of it, then I bet you’ll have a different answer for that question - “are you having fun?”