I recently read a blog by Oliver Balch titled “Lycra laggings – The final step in the evolution of a running fanatic.” In it, he talks about the realization that he has become a serious runner:
“I was out running the other morning, the usual steady pace, gulping down the frosty air, when it dawned on me that I was wearing running tights. You know, the ultra-tight compression ones. The ones with antimicrobial technology and go-faster stripes. The I-take-my-running-seriously ones,” he wrote.
It led him to ask himself:
“When did it come to this? When did I become the man who wore Lycra leggings? Leggings that cost as much as Levi’s. It’s absurd – financially, fashion-wise, every which way. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have scoffed at the thought. Now, I’m slower to chide. It’s OK, I tell myself. I’m just being me. The new me. The runner me. The convert.”
It got me thinking about when I came to consider myself a serious runner. The runner in me first raised his head when one of my younger brothers, Peter, challenged me to run the Calgary marathon, in 2003. Over the years, I had attempted various sports, but just going out and running had never really appealed to me.
However, I wasn’t going to back off from a little sibling rivalry. After attempting to train alone, starting with a one-km jog from my front door, I soon realized I needed help. So, I guess, the first step I took to becoming “serious” about it was to join the Sudbury Rocks Running Club, in Ontario. I became hooked and have since run literally hundreds of races, including marathons and ultra-marathons. I am frequently asked to speak to running groups, having become somewhat of an expert on the whole subject of running. This and my philanthropic endeavours for the children’s charity Right To Play, led to my career as an author and speaker.
I had written blogs and articles about my various events and experiences and it was when I decided to use this as a basis for the manuscript for my first book, Marathon Quest. It was when I was fortunate enough to be published by Rocky Mountain Books that I began to think of myself as a serious author. In order to hone my writing skills, I worked with the people at Rocky Mountain Books who provided me with a wonderful editor Meaghan Craven.
I was soon being asked to speak about these topics on a regular basis and when I started to be paid for doing so I came to regard myself as a professional speaker. For support, when it comes to improving and promoting my speaking skills, I joined the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS), whose members are a constant source of mentoring and sound advice.
Most of us decide from the outset on a serious path to take, whether it’s in a career, pastime or other endeavours. Sometimes, these things slowly come to us, from what might seem a fairly casual approach. It’s worth being open to realizing when that transition might occur, be prepared to embrace it and see it as an opportunity.
It may give you the chance to set goals, achieve a sense of fulfillment and set you on an unexpected path to great things.
© 2017 Martin Parnell
www.martinparnell.com
