Are You Addicted to Convenience?

Late in 2021, I committed to participating in a half-marathon relay with my friend, Crystal. She and I have run many races together and enjoy all the excitement surrounding live races, especially the swanky medals that you get at the finish line!  

The week of the race my excitement quickly faded when I saw the weather forecast for race day – 100% chance of rain and very cold temperatures. Ugh!! For me, there’s nothing worse than running races in the rain and cold.

My packing list now had to include rain jackets, ponchos, gloves, earmuffs, hat, quick-drying socks, and lots of layered clothing. To say I was not looking forward to running in that weather would be an understatement. I began dreading the event and kept thinking how miserable race day would be.

Honestly, I considered backing out of the race multiple times. But my friend Crystal is like the post office – she always delivers on her racing commitments no matter if there is snow, sleet, ice, or rain. She doesn’t complain and takes it all in stride. A commitment to her means finishing the race no matter the circumstances.

I didn’t want to disappoint Crystal. We were a relay team – committed to going the distance together.

The day before the race, we traveled to the race city to pick up race packets and get settled in the hotel. The rain and cold temperatures had descended on the city with no intention of leaving. Just walking a few blocks to get race packets was miserable. With no hope of any weather changes, race day was going to be horrible. I went to sleep hoping (and praying) for better weather conditions the next day.

Race morning came, and I was like a kid on Christmas morning – hoping to get everything I wanted and hoped for. I immediately looked outside the hotel window looking for sunshine and warmer temperatures. No such luck. Not only was the rain pouring down, but there was also a lot of wind. Great! I secretly kept wanting Crystal to say the weather was too bad and we should skip the half marathon relay.

No again.

RAIN + COLD + WIND + ME = WIMP

We decided Crystal would run the first half of the relay and I’d run the second half. This meant I had extra time to stay in the warm hotel before heading out.

As I was piling on the many layers of warm clothes and rain gear, I tried to muster a positive mindset. Yes, it was going to be cold and wet but that could mean I’d run faster and get done sooner, right? I’d be totally motivated to finish as fast as possible. I can do this; I can do this.

With all my necessary gear on, I told myself that this was it – time to face the music. Oh no – music. I suddenly realized I had left my earbuds in the car. Ugh!
With the horrible weather, I wasn’t going to the car to get them. I’d just play music from my phone. I can do this; I can do this.

If only the forgotten earbuds were the only inconvenience. On the way to the race, I discovered that I had misunderstood the shuttle instructions, so I now had to walk an extra mile (more rain, wind, and really cold temperatures) to get to the relay starting point.

​I finally got to the meeting point right before Crystal got there. We hug, share encouraging words, take a quick selfie and then I start my race of 6.5 miles. I can do this; I can do this.   I try to start my running app on my phone and watch to help me keep pace for my finish goal but nothing was working. Since I do the races with a running/walking combo, I use an app to keep track of when to switch between running and walking.

The app also keeps me updated on mileage and timing. I couldn’t get the running app to work on my phone or my watch AND my music wouldn’t work either. Ugh, Ugh, Ugh!!!! No music, no pacesetter, no distance reports – just me and the open road with rain, wind, and coldness. I can do this; I can do this.

When you are free from distractions, your mind can really gain clarity on things – like how much as a society we have become addicted to conveniences. How much I am addicted to conveniences.

We can have groceries (and almost everything else) delivered to our front door.
We have cars that parallel park themselves with a push of a button.
We have lightbulbs that can be turned off with a voice command.
We have answers to questions in a few seconds with the internet.

Conveniences are great, but have they made us less patient, less introspective, less hard-working, and less willing to experience any struggle?

When our conveniences are taken away, does our mindset go straight to negativity?
Do we proceed with perseverance or just give up?
Are we annoyed when we have to wait in line for a few extra minutes because things are moving slower than we’d like?

It can be a slippery slope when we become addicted to conveniences. We can soon start to feel entitled and deserving of the easy road. We must experience inconveniences, struggles, and hardships to evolve into mature, empathetic, dedicated, hard-working, and humble individuals. All the qualities needed to stand strong in a culture that only values short-cuts and easy paths.

So did I finish my race? YES, I DID!!!

With pure grit and no conveniences, I crossed the finish line. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I discovered that I always have a choice to keep moving forward during difficult times or give up when things get too hard. On that day, I dug deep and found the mindset, perseverance, and tenacity to stay the course. Now I have that experience to draw on when the path in front of me isn’t easy.

The more we struggle, the stronger we get. It isn’t pleasant and it isn’t fun, but it does fill our reservoir tank with strength, endurance, faith, and motivation to draw from in the future.
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In what area of your life could you benefit from less convenience and more grit?
You can’t finish strong until you start strong!

​Let this be the year that you start strong, stay strong, and finish strong!